The Soul's Trail
by Spokane
Summary: Niju couldn't just leave his life with the pack in the past, and Nava knows this too. The time has come for the soul to follow its trail, starting with a little "push" from Nava. After all, a wolf's life alone- isn't one worth living at all.
1. The First Step

Niju

Embittered and Alone

He crashed through the brush for hours that night. He was lost in every sense of the word, and he knew not where to turn. It was a night he would never forget, but never remember the same way twice. Sometimes he remembered it the way where he ran into the old wolf first; sometimes he could distinctly recall hearing the aged wolf call for him from a great distance away- as if the windy spirit of the wild itself carried his voice across the lands. Either way, it all ended up the same- he found the old one, Nava, somehow. Nava wanted to speak, but he wouldn't listen- he couldn't listen. He was burning with emotion and his ears were closed to the words that fell from the elder's lips. The first thing he did was distance himself as far away from the elder as possible. Besides being much too feeble to go chasing after him in his old age, Nava knew he'd be back- it was all part of the grand design.

Niju still carried himself proudly as he stepped into the brief gap between the immortal pines. These trees had survived an uncharted number of winters, when all turned to the most unbearable state of tail freezing cold. Even his paw-pads would being to crack a bit after a long walk on frozen stone, though he would never admit they were bleeding to anyone in the pack but himself. But Nava always seemed to know when Niju's pads were worn down by the sacrifices he made for the clan, and told him to rest, which Niju never really did of course. …Nava. The very thought of the elder almost made him physically sick. He let out an angry huff of air and finally let his senses guide him to the confrontation. His large nose on his blunt and chiseled profile proved helpful in locating any animal.

Nothing could escape him- not for long anyways. Not even Nava could have escaped him-if it hadn't been for Miss "wolf" princess herself. Not stopping at making a fool out of him, she'd left with _his_ pack into oblivion what couldn't have been more than 5 hours ago. Niju couldn't recall himself ever feeling more embitterment or hate for one creature in all his life, and _that_ was saying a lot, especially for him. If he ever saw that mutt in his lands again…oh there would be a price nastier than the bite marks he'd left on her nape. No, no,_if_ he ever saw he again, oh, he'd be sure to finish the job. But he stopped his thoughts there. He knew it'd be counterproductive to dwell on her any longer.

He retraced the path he had ripped through the pines during his initial flight in order to locate Nava once more. He didn't know why he was crawling back to Nava, but the male was like a magnet. Nava was a made leader whose "children" all cherished him and were the guiding strength in what made him great, a trait that Niju himself was quite secretively envious of.

* * *

><p>Niju and Nava<p>

Later that Night

He found Nava in a cave, staring at some very ordinary looking rocks. Saying nothing and making little noise other than the soft "tck, tck, tcks" of his clawed paws against the stone of the cave floor, Niju seated himself upon his well-muscled haunches.

Nava could still make him feel like a disobedient pup as Nava began to say "Wolves should answer each other's calls."

Niju felt color flush up into his cheeks and his neck ruffle out past it's already near-mane like state. He growled out a "You are not in charge of me, I didn't come here to be your subordinate, I don't take orders from weaklings. I only came here because it's warmer and you happen to have enough sense left to find shelter." Niju gave the elder a nasty smirk and flagged his tail towards the sky, the ultimate defiance gesture. It may have been overkill, but Niju was angry and with his stature- he looked much more threatening than he normally did.

To Niju's surprise, though- the elder wasn't shaken in the least and still did not turn his head to look at him. Nava merely replied with a "Good, because brother's do not order each other." Niju opened his mouth to object to being anything remotely like Nava's brother or friend when a sudden light illuminated the cave.

He now saw what the elder had been doing all the while Nava had been sitting there- he had been organizing the rocks so that with just enough direct light from the moon, the dully colored crystals would come to life- each reflecting off one another. The clouds that would bring snow seemed to pile up in the sky but there was a break in them that allowed light to flood through, as Niju observed in the small nook between the ceiling rocks of the cave. Niju stared in wonder, and was amazed against his own will as stalagmites and stalactites became aglow in the luminous atmosphere around him. The light from the moon's faint glow only shone on a portion of the cave's rocks, the others had to have been carefully positioned by someone who had great experience and wisdom at this practice in order to have the rocks feed off of the light from other rocks around them, until the whole room glittered and danced in the light.

After an eternity of silence Nava finally turned to face Niju. He knew that look of surprise on Niju's face- even when Niju tried to hide his astonishment. "I have whispered words to these rocks and finally they have given me an answer. They say a new light is coming and that we must wait for it." Niju rolled his eyes and cursed himself for returning here, had he kept running, he could have been back at his territory in the old lands by daybreak. He gritted his teeth.

"Well then…a new light…How very helpful, old man." He pulled his massive jaw back into a scowl, he didn't normally do sarcasm, but when the situation called for it- even the bluntest of beings will resort to it at sometime or another."Now,then- tell me, did they say _anything _about when it was coming or what it would mean?"

Niju's scowl deepened as Nava sighed with his eyes closed, his aged profile shook slightly. "I do not know anything more." Niju let a obnoxious laugh spill.

"Ha- that's exactly what I thought. Just another magic-trick to get me to aid you- an aging fool!" with than Niju sauntered as fluidly as his robust body would allow him towards a slight ledge inside the cave.

"You would be warmer if you retired by my side, brother." Nava retorted as he saw Niju stride away arrogantly. "I _thought any_ mother would teach her pups how to keep warm together." Nava didn't smile at his own sassiness; he merely looked wiser than ever at that point.

Niju's eyes grew wide as he recalled all that his mother taught him-granted it wasn't much. No, all she had really ever taught him was how to stay out of his father's way, and how to almost disappear. He had come to Nava and his clan as a headstrong, but much quieter yearling. Niju came to welcome and love the change that these lands had provided him when he needed it most, though, Nava knew nothing of Niju's old clan, but he did know that is wasn't normal for a yearling to leave his clan to find a new one while so young. While staring wide eyed at the ground- Niju knocked a stone out of place with one massive forepaw and the cave went black. Dead.

It was Nava who broke the seething silence. He noted that his words had a very powerful effect on his younger counterpart, just not the one he had _intended_. Nava couldn't quite tell what his words had meant to Niju, but now that the cave had succumb to the night, Nava took the time to explain to Niju what life meant for them now. " I do not know why the stones spoke to me in such a hushed tone, as if they were hesitant to let their spirits free to converse with me. Perhaps even they are uncertain of the future for us. This I know, these rocks represent a clan, and each depends on the other for its strength and survival. If one stone falls out of place, they are all thrown into darkness. One stone remains the balance of our survival. We must help each other if we are to survive and find new light."

All while Nava spoke, Niju was stretching out his massive form on the cave's cool, smooth floor. "Heh, nonsense. I know you need me, but what could I ever need from the likes of you?" He narrowed his eyes in the dark they had just adjusted to.

Nava knew he had a point, Niju was young and strong enough to easily best three wolves twice his size. Niju was also the biggest in the old clan, excluding Nuk, but in terms of muscle mass, Nuk paled in comparison. Niju undoubtedly had an alphas build to him. "You may be strong and you may be young. But you have yet to become wise." Nava chose his next words carefully. "I can aid you in becoming a wise spirit whom other spirits will trust. Unless of course you want to be truly alone, and not even the spirits will speak to you."

Niju grumbled and carefully mulled over the words Nava had spoken. The only thing that he feared more than the uncertain was facing the uncertain alone. Now without the caribou, Niju was uncertain of his fate in these lands. He had been so foolish to run back to his old lands with no clan, he saw that now. Without the clan, and without the caribou, he would still face an uncertain fate. Alone.

Or maybe not. The brute turned to Nava, maybe he could find some "use" for the elder after all. He had been a leader for an untold number of years, how had he done it? Niju envied the way Nava seemed to travel on the wind, perhaps that would come to him while in Nava's company. Niju remembered the stories Nava had told of the lands before the caribou established a herd nearby, he wondered how Nava had survived on such a seemingly meager food supply.

"No, I do not wish to be alone in this fate." He finally resolved verbally. Although he still could not bring himself to accept Nava's offer directly.

Nava smiled to himself in the darkness, he admired Niju's independence and vigor- even if it did make him rather bullheaded. "Come brother, and we shall lie together." Nava offered generously again.

Niju scowled and turned away from Nava with his head again, feeling his cheeks burn up with the same anger that he, notably, hadn't felt in a while. An icy breeze blew into the cave- carrying the hint of large globular flakes that the sky scattered relentlessly now. Snow. Niju tightly balled himself into a furry looking black and blue-tinted-silver ball, but he still felt the breeze penetrate his stubborn fur. It took all that he had to keep him from snuggling up with Nava, he didn't know why, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He could not bring himself to warm himself and another when they needed it most, was it that he was not ready? Why he not bring himself to change, when he needed to, in order to survive?

Niju sighed, and his breath rose in familiar clouds before him. Nava, who was much more feeble than he, may very well freeze to death, but Niju just wouldn't bring himself to help the elder. He couldn't.

"Goodnight then, Niju. In the dawn's light- we shall hunt." Nava murmured to Niju's prone for from his spot on the stone floor. Niju couldn't help but wonder what in hell there would _be_ to hunt, now that the caribou had run across the ice, along with his pack being led by that godforsaken mutt female. Here he went again he thought. As he drifted into sleep, his mental image was burning with her face at the center of it. He literally had dreams of her. Dreams of fire.


	2. Trail Sighted

Niju

Mid Summer-Months later

Niju awoke-early as usual. The birds were silent, the sun had not peeked above the rugged grassy bluffs they had called home for the winter. He stole a glance at Nava, who was still asleep unsurprisingly. The elder spent more than half of the day asleep, and had taken to ill recently, so he spent even more time in slumber these past few weeks than before. Exiting the cave, Niju's thoughts turned to food, as always. For the past month, Nava could barely summon the spiritual or physical energy to exit the cave. Niju despised how he was reduced to hunting for rabbits and the sparse Alaskan deer, but with the passing of spring into summer-everything had new energy. Added to this deer were still on much too high alert now that it was the time of raising newborn fawns.

Winter was the true time of the wolves, with all their prey being worn down by it, it was their time to take advantage, cruel as it was, but they were only helping the inevitable. Winters in Alaska were harsh, the promise of winter held the fact that not every creature would make it through to feel the warmth of spring, and that was that. Now that spring- almost summer was upon them, creatures renewed by the earth's resources once more, eluded the wolves in endless chases and tricks. Thus the cycle went on, but now Niju was at a disadvantage. Being a solitary hunter when a pack was needed most wasn't easy, and it was even harder seeing as he wasn't the only mouth he needed to feed.

Catching the scent of a male snowshoe hare, he lazily stalked after the thing. Damn hares were about all he could catch, they were at a disadvantage now in their summer coats of tawny brown instead of snow white. It was an old male who didn't put up much of a fuss when his neck was assaulted by Niju's proud jaws in an ambush.

His prey's neck making soft crushing sounds between his mighty jaws, Niju began to stroll back to the den where Nava was settled. Niju couldn't shake the feeling that he walked the world alone for the past few weeks, but that feeling was suddenly gone. Nava had indeed taught him more about his spirit than quite frankly, he ever wanted to know, but the knowledge was powerful. Something in the atmosphere in the wilds had changed, Niju didn't know what it was, but things seemed spiritually and physically restless. He saw more birds in the sky today, as he looked up with his jaws full of brown hare. But most of all his spirit and very being felt somehow rekindled in the faintest of ways. He couldn't explain was it was that had struck him today.

Niju returned to the cave and sat beside the old one, who was barely conscious. Niju wasn't surprised as he stretched out on his haunches. These days the old one seemed to be almost constantly between states of sleep. Nava was awake enough to sense Niju's presence, so Niju didn't announce himself as he began to soften the hare for the old one between his mighty jaws. As soon as he'd done a number on the poor hare's carcess, he roughly passed the thing to Nava. The old one merely looked up at him, taking no interest in the kill.

"N-Niju my brother…" His voice was weakened and his breath raspy.

NIju drew as close to enable him to hear Nava's voice clearly. Nava seemed determined, in a sort of way that didn't mean he was on his deathbed, but meant he was very weak. "Yes. It is I, old one."

"It…It is time…The light, it is upon us!" Nava murmured intensely to Niju. Niju's expression remained unchanged. Nava grew more urgent. "Niju, you must go search it out! It seeks…It seeks what it cannot find alone."

Niju frowned; Nava was really making no sense now. Niju wasn't too surprised, but he had to admit that Nava suddenly sounded more delirious than normal- maybe it was the heat from the summer. Even the cave was beginning to feel a bit warm. "Oh, come now Nava…You're not still on about that are you?" Niju attempted a joking tone to try and reassure himself, and his sanity. "Enough of these visions, you must eat, Old one." Niju pushed the hare carcass under Nava's nose in an attempt to gain his interest.

Nava merely turned away and faced Niju. "Go, my brother, be strong and go!" Niju was bewilded at his former alpha's behavior. "But-…Nava-" he sputtered in his befuddlement. Nava seemed to grow almost angry- "You must GO!" Nava barked as Niju backed away from the old one. Unsure of where to turn, he floundered for a second before scrambling to the cave door, he was about to curse Nava for his madness before he heard the old one speak again. "Your strength, my brother, use it wisely." Nava words sounded almost remorseful and kind once more, but they were laced with wisdom and impending advice.

Niju turned back from the door to find Nava once again slumped on his side, still breathing but weak as usual. Niju thought he understood the old one's plight. He was probably trying to send Niju away for his death, and sought to distract him from the cave. Nava was a proud yet humble creature; Niju was only beginning to understand what that was like. Nava probably wanted to die alone, Niju thought as he padded down the grass and boulder covered hills to the river that lay below them. He absentmindedly followed the river to the seashore, heavy in his steps. It was a custom in the old clan to bury to dead with a shell containing a bit of sand from these shores. Niju sighed heavily as his choice from the night many months ago haunted his mind. He didn't know when he'd ever be free from the guild that gnawed at his very soul.

He then saw it. A little tawny furred body not too far from the incoming tide, in fact dangerously close. He temporarily forgot the seashell, and padded closer still to this strange little find. His eyes grew wide in shock, it wasn't just the fact that the creature was caught in yet another upcoming tide much like the first day they met, which jogged his memory. It was the fact that even if he walked this earth alone for 500 years, or became the alpha of the greatest pack ever formed, or became one with the great Aniu…He would never, _**never **_forget that face. Sure her body had matured a bit through the months, and she seemed less of a juvenile and more of a lady…No…he would never forget that face. The face of loathing that burned in his memory, the face of his demise. He would never forget. The face of none other than… Aleu.

He forgot all of his dealing with Nava in the moment of her arousal to weak consciousness. She sputtered up seaweed and water for a few moments before cracking open her azure tinted eyes. It had been months since Niju had last viewed the cerulean pupils she possessed at the center of the azure irises. They glinted beautifully in the midday sun as the wolfdog panted and gasped for life-giving breath. After what seemed like an eternity, and the image of him pinning her- about to finish her burning in his head all the while, Niju finally took a step forward. Suddenly Aleu seemed to become more aware of her surroundings as her eyes locked on his form. The azure beauties narrowed with recognition, as Niju's navy blues did the same. A menacing and notably more adult growl rumbled form her throat as Niju's smirk became evident.

"**_You._**"


	3. Burning Presence

Aleu and Niju

Oceanside Beach

They were just where they left off before Aleu's triumphant seize of power and Niju's retreat into his heritage and home. He didn't win, oh no. But neither did she. Winning in these lands was merely surviving- and they were both still very much alive. This time, there was no Balto or Nava to stop the two forces from destroying themselves.

Her eyes- the impossibly blue depths, drew him in once more. All he could see for a moment was how they sparked with a fire, a fire he recognized in himself. Pride, and maybe a bit of haughty arrogance, though her face showed no other signs of these emotions, he could read them within her. Ok, so maybe Nava was beginning to rub off on him. He'd practiced various exercises with Nava, but had little use for them. As soon as them had come, the emotions disappeared into the wise, and respectful doe-eyes of the young alphess. A very irked juvenile-immature aplhess, yet wise beyond her years, and there was not a trace of raw emotion.

It seemed like eons passed, while he waited for the spark to return, for her to tackle him and their world to collapse into one of pulled fur, bloody nails and bruises. Sure- she looked angry seeing as she had everything to lose and he had everything to gain from the impending battle- but Niju saw no trace of the arrogant pride in Aleu had picked up on before. Even if it only lasted a moment, he saw how even the most pure and morally just of leaders could become drunk on their own power over others. He wondered if Nava ever felt that way and if he personally would be able to control himself if he _ever_ became leader.

Oh yeah. The damn roadblock of his power was standing right in front of him. Pinning her ears and stepping forward in the sand- with bits of wet sand falling from her coat she demanded of him. "What are you doing here?" a hateful emphasis on the 'you'.

Taken aback by her fools bravery and accusatory tone, he retorted. " I might ask you the same question." He turned to face the cragged cliff sides. "I live here, no thanks to you." Was she really so thickheaded that she forgot his reasons for being here?

Aleu had not forgotten about him since the day they had come clashing together for the first time. Two separate stands on an issue that needed urgent attention: survival. They simply could not coexist; one would eventually destroy the other- if the initial splitting up of the pack didn't destroy them first. There was no neutral when it came to surviving, it was either his way or her way and the pack members had to chose for them. There was no wait and see; the time to act was upon them. They chose her.

Seeing him again gave her a sense of pride- immature arrogant pride. A power over him, and she felt good, almost sinfully good. It was as if her power was an emotion in and of itself, but she was conscious as to how feeling so superior could cloud a young alphess's judgment. However, she would be lying to herself if, even for the briefest of moments just then, she had wanted to see Niju's carcass. An obvious victim that had succumb to the elements and starvation, so she could prove just how wrong he had been, and just how right she was in her decisions. She could rub it in his face one last time. She had been right, and here was the proof as his corpse. Her young mind brewed brutal thoughts, but she banished them quickly when she blinked and her eyes became the blue slates they always had been. Niju was not dead. He stood before her, growling softly and breathing as intensely as his dark blue stare. He waited for her end of the explanation.

" I am looking for Nava." She refused to meet his gaze. To do so would involve her looking up at his quite tall form, making herself seem weaker. She could not afford to remind him that he could probably still potentially crush her small wolfdog frame. She had little energy to fight to be honest. The terrible swim seemed to suck all life from her bones.

She allowed herself a peak up into his eyes and saw that his brows had furrowed further. Not a good sgin.

"The old one…" Niju paused when he thought of Nava. He thought of how Nava's breath could be leaving him this very moment, and how desperate Nava sounded when he sent Niju away from the cave. "…Is resting." Niju wasn't sure if Nava had become one with the spirits yet, but he didn't want to go back just yet to find out. Ad he'd be damned before he'd actually help that mutt. After he rid himself of her, he planned to check on Nava. Not speak to him, just see if he was still breathing. If so, Niju planned to bed down in a different cave and sleep alone. Come morning, he was almost certain the old one would be gone.

Aleu's temper flared- her suspicions seemingly confirmed by Niju's hesitance. Her voice grew high with a juvenile whine. "Niju! I swear….If you've so much as touched him- I'll…I'll…"

He decided now wouldn't be a bad time to mock her, as he padded a half circle around her. "You'll what…? You have no power over anyone here, mutt." He softly butted heads with her as he stared down at her.

He refused to give her satisfaction of knowing Nava had not met death by his wrath for vengeance. "So why don't you swim back to your little clan? You said it yourself- these lands have no longer have anything for the clan."

As he fiercely invaded her personal space, she could feel his immensely powerful muzzle and jaw-line wrinkle into a disgusted scowl. She thrust her weight into his solid forehead and shoved him back a few steps- they danced like fighting stag beetles. "What have you done with Nava?" She shrieked.

" Nothing." His harsh cool tone returned. He knew she wouldn't believe him- just like he wanted. He wanted her gone, that much went without saying, but part of him just wanted to push her. Wanted to watch the "wise" alphess dissolve into the self-centered, whiney rebel he knew she was.

"Yeah, right." She scoffed.

He delighted inside-there it was. Such a juvenile utterance, was only to be expected of an immature leader. This was the side he would triumph over easily. The side prone to flares of temper, the side prone to making horribly rash decisions, the side that felt arrogant pride in her new leadership.

He turned and began to trot back towards the woods, knowing full well she would trail after him. She was utterly predictable, in a dangerously unpredictable world. When he could no longer feel the sand beneath his paws, and trees surrounded him he heard a twig snap gracelessly behind him. He could sense the huffiness in her gait as she pushed past him and all but blocked his path.

"Niju I'm warning you. I must see Nava, take me to him- NOW!" Her adolescent tone prevailed.

"Warning me? You can't banish me from my own homelands." A dangerous smirk passed over his features. Enraged, he was prone to making rash decisions too, as had been proven the last time they met. Now he was just toying with her. Making things as difficult as possible. If she was really driven to find Nava, she could spend days searching the cliff's nooks and crannies, only to find his body- lifeless, as Niju was sure it would be whenever she finally found him. Her skills as a tracker were no doubt subpar.

"I didn't banish you last time, you ran." She impishly snarled back at him. "Take me to Nava." She attempted to butt heads with him again, showing him she was just as testy.

He gave her head a shove with his before drawing back from her. It never occurred to him how badly she must need Nava if she was willing to knock herself from her pedestal to ask him for his-HIS help. Now he was genuinely curious what she was doing here.

"Why do you need his help?" He noted her slight twitch when he ended with the word "help." As if she didn't need anyone's help to run a pack.

"I don't have to answer to you, I just need you to take me to him." Now she'd done it- she'd let it slip. Need. Damn it. She didn't need anybody's help- or anything from anyone, really. Especially not this hulking, cowardly, power hungry, brute's help.

His chiseled jaw gave way to a smirk that had her blood boiling. Her ears down to the tip of her tail were nearly shaking with rage and she was becoming unbearably hot. Like the time Rosy had left her inside with her siblings and the windows shut. Who did he think he was? Had he completely forgotten who he was speaking to?

"What was that again, half breed? You what?" He was getting her just where he wanted her, breaching the sharp edge of her wise beyond her years persona, he knew who she really was. He wanted to cause that infantile, temper tantrum, throwing side to appear. He'd never actually seen her throw a temper tantrum, but she was shaking so much she didn't seem far from it.

Nava would never approve, but to hell with what Nava thought- there was something about her that caused him to throw his newly learned altruistic tendencies to the wind. He guessed it was supreme irritation and a pressing need for vengeance. But it was Nava's teachings that were keeping him from snapping her pretty, innocent, little neck on the spot. Plus he wasn't a murderer. He just wasn't afraid to use the quickest methods possible to achieve a greater good. The greater good being what was best for the clan.

"I said: I need to see Nava." She subtly amended her second statement. He noticed.

"No. You said you needed-" His voice broke into an obnoxious scoff. "You needed _me_ to take you to him." His words mocked, his implications of her incompetence blatantly clear.

She lost it, submitting to the flare of her temper. " I-you…Ugh! You're just jealous and a bully! I'll have you know the clan's never been better without you, Yak, Nak and Sumac especially! They can't believe you tricked them into thinking they were your friends; they now see how you only used them to better yourself! They see you for what you are! Just a big-fat bully and a cowar-"

She had gone far enough. He was never a coward. Niju always stood his ground. Always. He would never be called that by anyone, especially her. Now it was time for his blood to boil as his voice boomed with barely controlled rage- cutting her off before she could even finish the last 'd'.

"Hold your tongue, mutt! Or I'll make you regret the day you were born, if it's the last thing I do before I join Aniu!" He took two menacing steps towards her.

This was out of control; Nava would never want such a fate to befall his kin. But he just couldn't stop. He urged just to tear at her, knock her down physically and rip her masked persona to shreds. Finish her, while she was at his mercy. Like felling a caribou, there was a sordid thrill in winning against something that was fighting for its life. Knowing full well that he held the jugular vein between his mighty jaws, it continued to fight on until the end. So Aleu would fall. Nava- gone or alive couldn't stop him now.

It may have been her sudden shrinkage, the fear in her eyes, or the faint smell of burning spruce that stopped him in his tracks, before he could strike. Her fear had nothing to do with him. Aleu's doe-like baby blues seemed glazed with shades of orange and splashes of yellow, all a reflection of what was behind him. Whipping his head around, his eyes too, widened with unabated horror. The forest behind them was burning.


	4. Tentative Path

Aleu and Niju

Burning Forest

Swiftly, the flames danced in front of their panicked eyes, soon the spread in front of them and all around them. They could do nothing for a few seconds but stare dumbly as the flames threatened to consume them. Engulfing tree after tree, the smoke descended in an inky black curtain around them. If they could somehow navigate their way back to the sanded beach, they stood a chance.

As they inhaled smoke collectively, panic set in and clear reasoning seemed to flee. In the inky, heated darkness illuminated by flaming trees, bushes and shrubs; herds of deer may have run past them thinking the same collective thought: Run.

Niju had one thought and one word pass his throat- Nava. He never knew if he actually said it aloud as he tore through the burning pines, singeing himself. His thoughts did not once stray to Aleu, who yelped and gasped as her lungs took on smoke. Intoxicated with panic, she literally tore after him blindly. Not thinking of where she was going, and not being able to discern which way the sanded oceanfront was from the circle of flame engulfed trees in which she had found herself.

The fire was fast and furious, coming upon the two suddenly. Things had been so dry- that all it took was a little ignition before it turned into a raging inferno. In their distracted anger they had missed all the early warning signs from other animals and their senses, their disoriented panic wasn't helping them now either.

Somehow, he scrambled into the now burning hillsides. Nava would still be inside the caves that jutting from them, his fate sealed now. If Nava wasn't gone before the rush of inferno, the heat and choking smoke would be the end. There was no saving him anyways, Nava was too gravely infirm and ill, but there would be definitely no saving him now. Niju stopped dead when he looked up at the glowing hills- Aleu slamming hard into his side from her dead run. "No…"

Niju was too late, but he never bothered asking himself why he tried at all. There had been no chance at all. Aleu's chest pounded as she could feel the flames- the white-hot burning ones catch up with her. They had to move. She followed his gaze for the briefest of moments- to the higher hillsides. She could make out the outline of caves. Had Niju been trying to get Nava out? Is that why he ran here?

With the sound of fresh whistling from the wind, and the crackle of flames drowning out all reason, she knew they had to run. Niju just stared with his mouth slightly agape before tearing after her. Blind of their direction they could have very well ran in circles. Smoke clouded their eyes, and it felt like they were exhaling as much as they were inhaling of the inky burning vapor. Trees succumb to the flames and crashed down, sending an angry army of sparks and embers showering down around them.

They tore through the burning at the same pace, moving like a school of fish, when one made a random blind turn- the other followed the movement, almost like it was a planned dance. Aleu cried out when a particularly sizable tree fell in front of them and blocked their path, this happened a number of times and eventually Aleu had run out of energy and oxygen to make but a squeak. She had been running on empty before the blistering run from the flames. For a wild fire, this seemed to have no end to its burn.

They had been running for hours, they were sure. Not one of them had diverged from the other for even a second, mainly because they were both running down the only path there was to run down. Just ducking flames and burning shrubs, jumping blackened and enflamed logs, the other's presence made no difference. Had they been here individually they would be making the same path regardless; it was the only way to live without being burned alive.

The smoke was absolutely impossible to navigate, and the flames were impossible to escape now. Niju was on his last legs and Aleu was beyond that, strength drained by smoke and heat that burned at them. Collapse almost seemed like a better option now, they bumped against each other, dodging through the flaming underbrush until the ground suddenly seemed to give way under their paws. Down they tumbled for a short period until their world seemed to go truly black and silent after a loud splash.

A dark and icy shock to their systems awaited them below. Water. The river had taken them in. Plundering and disoriented, they floundered towards the orange glow of the burning forest that was the surface. The icy wetness was a welcome sensation, but the river was strong and fast here. They tumbled blindly, the river sending them head over heels and backwards down violet bends in the river. Fighting the undercurrent, they battled their way to the surface before they were dragged down again. This went on again, and again. All energy to swim was gone- not that there had been much to begin with. Drowning was on both of their minds, but they hadn't the energy to think of how ironic it would be. Adrenaline was gone, leaving them with the pain of their bodies fighting to survive. Aleu had already been through this once in the past 12 hours.

Finally the river ended their prolonged suffering by leveling out, and slowing down into a small creek with a rocky bank. Once of the many divisions of this river passed its rushing point, they found themselves struggling onto the bank. The stones wedged themselves between their paws, as their legs shook violently. Aleu and Niju collapsed as soon as the water was low enough to allow them to breathe on stony bank.

Copious amounts of river water welled up and out from their throats as they communally hacked, sputtered and panted together, their faces merely centimeters apart. As the water left their insides, the ragged panting set in. It was as if they feared they would never breathe again and they must store up, they hadn't been able to breathe right for hours and now they were filling the void as fast as possible. Air, they just couldn't get enough of it. Not that the air here was all that great. It was smoky- so much so that it covered the sky in a dark cloud. It was probably dark by now anyways, though, they couldn't be sure. Faint embers glowed in the air around them; charred stumps emitted strange red and orange light amidst the velvety darkness. They could see in the distance, upriver, where the fire still actively raged on.

The reflection on the surface glistened faintly as their breath finally caught them. Wide eyed, they just stared at each other and their reflections, almost unbelieving that either of them were there. Their location, currently unknown was the least of their worries. Each second of safe breathing and cool water against their fur felt like an hour of relief. Their bodies went into immediate convalescence, before they could feel their eyes growing heavy…

They passed out.

* * *

><p>Aleu and Niju<p>

Hours Later-Burned Forest Riverbank

The noise of a charred tree crashing down somewhere in the distance startled them both awake.

Niju wasn't sure how long they'd been out for, but it didn't feel long enough. He could lie there forever. Aleu's eyes- bright and reflecting embers in the orange glow caught his attention, partially because they were about a centimeter from his own and partially because they were open- meaning she was awake….or possibly something more sinister indeed.

It never occurred to him that him and Aleu had never been formally introduced; it's not something one dwells on when staring into the eyes of a rival. It didn't matter now anyways. He knew her name, and that was all he needed now. "Aleu…?" He croaked slightly, the smoke, water and lack of oxygen over the past hours was evident.

She blinked and shifted weakly. Definitely not dead. At this point he didn't care to argue if that was good or bad. She would still continue to be useless to him either way. She looked confused, but neither of them even tried to make movements towards getting up. It wasn't as if they could.

"Wh-where are we..?" Her voice didn't fare much better than his against the elements.

" I don't know, maybe… Maybe the northern river fork." He glanced dazedly at a tree burned beyond recognition. Wherever they were, they were far from where they wanted to be or needed to be. He had no energy left for hostility, it almost felt pointless now anyways. He didn't even feel weak in his current position in front of his rival… enemy… whatever she was now.

" Could Nava have survi-" She began to ask, weakly optimistic, before he cut her off. "No. Nava is gone. There was no chance for him." He stared blankly ahead.

" You didn't kill him." She admitted plain and simple her pervious suspicions. The escape from the fire and nea -drowning had seemed to give them an air of seniority over their previous moods. No more snarky- hostile words, they were past that energy level. Nothing left but blatant honesty.

"No. I didn't." His voice flat. He thought of what befell Nava-either illness or suffocation, he hoped it was the former. Niju hoped his old leader had died in his sleep before the fire, quick, easy and painless. He drew a large breath and slowly released it. "We stayed a pack until the end."

A wave of guilt passed over Aleu, as much as her extreme fatigue would allow. Her body felt weightless yet unmovable, as if she literally had no muscles. All pride in her was gone. Her fur was matted and slightly singed in paces, her face held a few shallow cuts that the stream had cleaned of blood, and her body was splayed out into his. Their back feet were touching, but they felt nothing now. A runner's high to put all others to shame was upon them, after passing out their bodies flooded with endorphins. Staring at each other, they were in a trance. Come what may, they weren't getting up.

A lengthy hesitation passed. "I- I'm sorry." The words came surprisingly easily from her formally sour mouth. The apology was a vague one. He didn't seem to notice its possible double meanings, one for her transgressions, or for Nava or maybe -all of the above.

" Yes. He was a wise leader, a patient teacher, and a caring friend. He was as empathetic as he was forgiving. It's going to be difficult without his guidance." Niju admitted without difficulty. He sounded more 'real' to Aleu now- remorseful even. He sounded like he had a voice that served to do more than threaten or challenge her. She knew he was exhausted; she didn't even have the energy or collected thoughts to worry about him trying to kill her for leadership.

"You know, I've had dreams where those who have joined Aniu come back to guide me." Aleu spoke without arrogance in her tone, changing what could have been a brag into an honest confession.

"Must be nice." Niju sounded somehow colder.

She explained, " My dad never had dream visions that were very clear, but him and I were guided by a raven. That's how we found the clan. I think it can happen to anyone, when the spirits really need you to listen."

She knew her father was plagued by bad dreams all while she had known him, but none of them were explicitly clear like hers had been. Balto's dreams seemed to warn him, but they never told him when, where or what to do next. Aleu's dreams often involved her talking with mysterious spirits- and they instructed her on what was to happen and what her and the clan should do.

"Why are you here, why didn't your precious dreams warn you of this?" It was clear she didn't see the fire coming. They could have died countless times over.

His words stung, in a way he couldn't have predicted. "I-I don't know… They never mentioned it." Her pretty blues looked a little vacant. Her answer wasn't enough, even in this state.

"No, why are you here?" Her pride seemed to return as she avoided his gaze as best she could. Granted- it was difficult when her lashes nearly touched his. "I-"

"Answer me." Niju's voice was demanded, but in a softer manner than usual. It wasn't laced with a threat. He felt compelled to know why she would just leave the clan behind- and be so blind to the fire, and possible even more dangers before. He remembered coming across her unconscious form that morning. God. She was having a rough day. She must have made the crossing with almost no ice floes; in the summer only the great big ones remained.

" I-..Aniu…It's just that…" Her brows knitted together, exhaustion and an endorphin spike were clouding her thoughts. Her confession sprang forth like a ground-well. There was no going back.

" The clan isn't getting along so well- I mean everyone is still arguing. It seemed great when we got to the new lands, but…But now they are still divided. Summer is upon us and all the caribou are so strong now…and..and" She hit a small roadblock in her thought train. "Idon'tknowhowtohuntthem." Came out as a single phrase. "No one knows about that, I just disappear during the hunts, I pray no one sees me. They'd know I wasn't right to lead but- I can't let them all down. Some of them are so cold towards me, it's like they know it. They don't fight with me, they fight with each other."

In all of the days horrors, she still had the strength to start breathing hard once more. "We're going to starve- the pack needs to be strongest now, with the caribou being so strong. But it's falling apart; no one is listening to each other. The strong take what they can kill- the weak get nothing. I don't get..I can't- I can't kill. I'm forced to take what others don't when everyone is arguing. I can't ask for help- I should be giving it!" Her beautiful eyes seemed to water around the edges. So drained, yet her soul could still cry from inside her. " Nava always brought them all together…somehow… I heard some whispering one night; they don't think I can live up to it. It's not just a few rebels, it's like…like…"

Her voice drew into a throaty whisper. As if no one in this world or the next should hear her. "Everyone. They'll be right behind me one minute, yet just waiting for me to mess things up the next. I have no one to confide in completely. I can't trust anyone with a secret without a risk of…judgment. I'm sure there are some who want to overthrow me, but without a clear leader it would be chaos…" Suddenly remembering where she was and who she was talking to, she silently shook.

Her pride had committed suicide. She had opened everything, but she didn't open it for him- she was admitting it to herself. She hid her face from him, he just couldn't see her cry. She had to be better than this. " We can't cooperate as a group- we can't take down caribou."

Her voice finally cracked in her whisper. She couldn't feel her paws, but brought them up to hide her face further. She repeated, "We're going to starve…what canwedowe'regoingto starve." As if it were a one worded mantra. Her voice faded into an indistinguishable squeak.

A lengthy time passed before he finally spoke, "I thought Aniu would guide you."

Her voice shuddered in a drawn out sigh, she wasn't sobbing but was near to it. "I haven't ever seen her in a dream. I always see a dark shape in the shadows, but it turns away from me before I can call out to it. That's all I've been dreaming of lately. Again and again and again until I'm just…Just so tired." Behind her paws her eyes grew wide.

"Ohno…I've become Papa. I'm not in place-just like him. The dream plagues me over and over, but I can't fix t. I can't just turn away." She squeaked in a tortured whisper. "I haven't even seen Muru in months. I need to ask him why he sent me the wrong way. I…" Her breathing began to slow down.

"I need Nava." She finished.

She wasn't inviting Niju to attack, or take charge but she assumed he would start asserting his superiority right away. She walked right into it, but Aleu was so tired it didn't really matter to her anymore.

"You shouldn't be here. The clan can't survive without having a defined leader." His voice was flat, but notably void of condescension.

"I told them I was going on a journey. No one asked me any questions. It's up to them whether or not they have enough faith in me to hold it together until I come back." She sniffed- catching a whiff of the smoky dampness of the river and the charred surrounds and the musk of her counterpart.

" I should go home. I should tell Papa I'm sorry I left him, I should visit mother too…. And my brothers and sisters…Rosy too…" Aleu rattled off. Niju didn't know who she was talking about, but he knew when she said home, she didn't mean back to the clan.

" I never was in my place. Everyone was right." Aleu never told him 'you were right' but he was included in that everyone. Aleu wasn't angry or distressed, on the contrary she was feeling quite calm considering. She felt like she was finally making the right decision.

"Maybe I don't know who I am still, but I definitely know who I'm not. I don't mind spending my whole life not knowing, it's not worth the pain and suffering. Mine included." She wasn't only talking to him, she spoke to herself mostly.

"So do y-" Niju began to inquire. He was beginning to grow tired again. He wasn't sure what he was asking, but she cut him off before he could.

" Yes Niju, it's yours. Just take care of your clan, I hope you can. There are some really good wolves in the clan, and I'd hate to see them starve." Her voice was empty.

" They'd never believe me. Believe it or not, I don't have the best reputation. You didn't help that." He thought for a moment. "Neither did my stubbornness. They'd think I killed you and Nava, then proceeded to take charge." He put things bluntly.

"You have a point. But you're good at force; they need a more experienced leader. You said you wanted to lead." She sounded a little distant.

" Yes. I said I wanted to lead-" He added a catch. "In my homelands."

She sighed and looked around the charred darkness, illuminated only with faint embers. " Look Niju- there is nothing left here. Not for the clan, and not even for you, now."

Oh. Yeah. As much as it pained him to admit, most of life sustaining game had already left, and the fire would take care of the rest.

"How long have you been away from the clan?"

"A week, I think. I was running from some bears after I took their kill. It was really stupid, but I was so hungry. It knocked me off course for a few days." Her limbs were beginning to lose their numbness, only to be replaced with a crushing weight. Her whole body felt like it was sinking into the bank as her eyelids felt like they melted into each other. She just couldn't go on. But it was all right. There was no place to go.

Niju, who was looking up at the embers flittering across the smoky night sky, noticed her sudden stillness.

" If I go back. I'm going to need you too. I can't force them all to believe me, and listen to me. They'll take some convincing. From someone they know and trust, for the most part. You're not a liar, wise or not, they know you're pretty truthful. Truth has always been important to the clan…" He trailed off, realizing she was out.

Still buzzing with endorphins, his mind felt separate from his fatigued body. He didn't have the energy nor the desire to remove himself from her proximity. It would take effort he wasn't totally sure he had, and to be honest- he liked knowing she was there. Normally he would have felt arrogant pride lying right next to the one thing that stood between him and his clan- his power.

But after all that she said, all that she was offering... He honestly didn't feel all that damn powerful.

Sleep came easier than he expected.


	5. Cautious Mileage Gained

[Thanks for all the reviews and Faves!, but I really,_really_ could use a Beta reader or two! Please drop me a line if you can!]

Aleu and Niju

Burned Forest Riverbank

She awoke sore, hungry but most of all thirsty. The inky cloud had subsided and let the morning rays stream through the burned riverside forest. Everything smelt like the color black.

His form surprised her as she approached the better half of the bank. The side they slumbered on had burned bits and debris in it. Smelling burn was enough; she didn't need to taste it, again.

"Oh! …Why are you still here?" She didn't sound demanding, but curious in a tired voice.

"I'm waiting." He sat tall by the bank, he had a naturally proud build.

"For what?"

"You."

She was taken aback. "Me?" Bejeweled blues opened wide. She dipped her supple frame down into the stream.

An adorably pink tongue lapped loudly and he was surprised by her ravenous thirst. Not that he had been any less thirsty when he awoke. She spoke again, once she raised her head and let her tongue catch the water running from her chin. Her voice sounded slightly suspicious. "Why?"

"Because I need you." That earned him an incredulous glare- at least as much of a glare as Aleu was capable of.

"Don't flatter yourself halfbr-" No. He'd better not go there, or start using that word. He didn't know how long it would take them to reach the clan, assuming her cooperation. She had better cooperate. She left his clan in a very irresponsible way and now they needed him, or at least somebody to lead. She made that clear last night. He really did need her, then she could go on her merry way back to whatever she was rambling about last night. He didn't want her to throw another little tantrum- he had to watch his mouth, and his temper.

"Aleu." He corrected himself as fast as he could and proceeded from there quickly. " The clan needs a leader, _now_. Without one they're disorganized and lost. Understand?" His tone slightly condescending.

He continued. " Take me to them, tell them that you've put me in charge. Explain to them that you couldn't handle it…Or whatever you told me last night." He rose towards her. "They might need a little convincing, but it'll be better for them in the end."

He sounded a tad bit too confident. Ugh. But Aleu felt it was better than his usual flagrant arrogance. In truth, she had mixed feelings about leaving the clan solely in his paws, but she just wanted to be done with it. Clean her paws of them all and go back to where she probably belonged. Or keep looking elsewhere.

Aleu sighed deeply and her ears fell back. That'd mean she'd have to go back. Leaving her position to him from here was tolerable. However going all the way back, confronting them, telling them how she had failed them, and how they'd all be taking directions/orders from Niju for the foreseeable future felt nearly unbearable. But what if they didn't listen to him...? She knew Niju was strong, but he wasn't _that _strong. He couldn't strong-handle all of them into listening…Then what would they do? No! She just couldn't think about it. She needed to forget and return home, they weren't her responsibility anymore.

"Do you hear me?"

She felt like her mother... She was more than a house-dog! What was happening to her? "Okay, I'll…" Her voice was a little hoarse and she stopped to clear it. "I'll take you to them. I'll tell them…I don't know what I'll tell them. It wasn't meant to be, I guess."

Aleu felt her conviction return. She suddenly felt very selfish for wanting to just disappear into herself, as if she was letting down her father personally. Sure, he lived as an estranged loner, distancing himself from the harsh words and judgments made against him in Nome. But when Nome needed him, he was there. He was more than there- he was the hero. She may not be leaving them in the right paws, but she was going to make sure they saw her return. They could have easily lost all faith in her, not that there had been much of it lately. But in the chance that the promise of her return was enough to keep them together, and optimistic- who would she be to rob them of that faith?

Letting the clan see her off may even be enough to give them hope that Niju wasn't so power hungry and vengeful that he would kill all who didn't oblige. She really wasn't sure. But his current diplomacy lead her to believe that he really was trying to do all he could to save the clan now. "I'll tell them Aniu was wrong."

Niju's fur bristled. "Don't say that!" He barked at her, suddenly testy.

Aleu backed up and slid against the jagged boulders that the stream wore away.

"What! Why?" She had a demanding glare in her eyes as only she could.

His tail dropped back to normal height and his fur relaxed. "Because some clan members believe that Aniu is never wrong. Saying that would crush their hopes, or cause them to get very defensive with you, enough to outright rebel against you." He informed her curtly.

She looked perplexed. " Wait…But that would mean that I should be leading them!" Her mouth turned into a little frown as she was lost in thought.

He gave her a subtle smirk. " That's entirely possible. You may just feel you don't quite meet the Great Aniu's expectations. Also possible." He was towing the line between insults and drawing conclusions with her.

Her brows knitted in a glare once again. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's not wrong for making you the "chosen one". She just demanded too much of you too early, you weren't ready. You said it yourself and I must agree with you there. But the clan needs me. Now is the time for action. The clan cannot wait for you to become ready. Aniu can make a path, but you don't always have to follow it. Sometimes it's better in the long run if you don't." He was growing impatient with her slow reluctance.

"How can you know that?" Her eyes narrowed as she subconsciously challenged him.

She sounded dangerously doubtful and it worried Niju. But he wasn't worried just because she doubted the validity of his words and him becoming alpha- it went far beyond that. He cared for the clan, he cared so much it turned him violent against those who would bring harm to it.

He would always lead by example; in what he thought was the right direction. The clan was out of time, and he needed to act now. He knew how to save them, if they wanted to survive- they'd follow his lead. He'd forgive them for not listening to him the first time. It only made him angrier with Aleu, though. She was playing with their lives in her immature quest to "find" her pretty, little, self.

" I wasn't born yesterday, Aleu." He spoke coldly, he wasn't about to tell her how he had come to know about Aniu's ways.

The answer would be pretty clear if she used her head to think on it. Nava. Obviously. Before she could retort, he had turned and began to lead the way- without direction at first. Just getting things moving. "Let's go."

He began to walk along the stream staying on the bank. He was heading down river, knowing the stream must feed into the ocean.

"Niju! Wait!" Aleu called after him, catching up. "What about the fire?"

"It's probably burned out by now. They never last." With her caught up he broke into a run, expecting her to follow. He was a bit hungry, but he could eat when the clan caught its first caribou, he told himself.

Nothing looked familiar, they realized some hours later. They had run silently along the stream, they had run too fast, driven by foolish competition.

Anytime she run in front of him, he ran to put himself in front and she followed- by sundown they were pretty well lost and exhausted. The burn had been a big one, and it was impossible to navigate even for Niju, though he'd never let on how lost he was. In the end it had become pretty obvious. Everything looked the same. Smoldering, black and dead- there were no landmarks, and no scents to trace. Just the smell of fresh ash, which flooded the olfactory senses. They didn't seem any closer to the sea.

When they stopped, it was because the log they had run across was too badly burned and had collapsed beneath them.

"You…You're lost, aren't you?" Aleu breathlessly accused him while detangling her body from his. They'd only fallen about 10 feet, but it was enough to wind them more than they were already.

"No! I'm just…"

He glanced around the lifeless forest floor. Nope- still not a damn thing was familiar, especially not with the impending darkness. Forests in the dark, he'd been through them before…he just wasn't too sure about this particular area.

He scoffed. "Bah! It all looks the same!"

Aleu was relentlessly kicking a hornets' nest by adding "Well if you were lost- why didn't you stop? I mean, I thought we were going in circles, but I thought you would know better."

She could see him tense in the fading twilight rays.

She persisted. "Maybe if you'd slowed down and let me try and help, we wouldn't be lo-" He rounded upon her- she'd let the hornets out.

"Don't play games with me halfbreed!" He snarled, his sudden turn giving Aleu a start.

"You've been playing games with the clan for too long! They don't have time for you to finish your little 'discovery' quest! Don't you get it, you selfish house-pet? I'm doing you a favor by cleaning up the mess you made, because the mess you made happens to be my pack! I would die before I see the likes of you destroy it with your little games!"

Aleu was still momentarily shocked speechless at his sudden flare- but a glimmer of hurt flashed across her finely featured face.

"So don't you forget that…If you know what's good for you. Shut it and follow my lead from now on." He heavily finished, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

In his anger, he'd forgotten that nothing but her self-righteousness was keeping her here. As the hurt in her eyes dissolved into seething rage, he remembered. Woops. But he couldn't apologize- he wasn't sure his mouth could even form the word sorry. Especially not to her. Besides, she needed to hear that anyways.

" Oh yeah? You're just jealous because Aniu didn't choose you! Yeah! That's right, she chose me! Me! I bet you'd give anything to be the chosen one! You- you tried to trick me into leaving! She chose me for a reason, and I'm going to find out- one way or another! Don't think you can just boss me into leaving the pack that she put me in charge of!" Aleu screeched at him, her emotions raging inside. Now it was Niju's turn to look vexed.

"What about all you raved on about last night? I couldn't have agreed with you more. Mostly the part about you…oh, what was it…" He mocked her. "Oh yes, not knowing how to hunt a caribou. Face it collar-neck…You're obviously way out of your league." Niju could see the color rising in her delectable cheeks and he loved it.

"Well things change. I might change my mind and stay, or I might go." She added half out of spite and half out of honest indecision.

Nava…Grant him strength to not rip her to shreds right there. "After all you've done- it'd be a crime to let you lead them." His tone was flat yet full of threat.

To his surprise she nodded at him. " I was just going to stick around until the clan starts begging me to come back to power. After a few weeks of your control- I probably won't seem so bad." Oh. So she did have a quickwit side to her, a more mature alternative to her usual meltdowns. Pity he was going to tear her apart for it.

"Why you-" He never got to finish. A bear seemed to just about materialize from the dark insides of the charred woods. It was dark now- which explains why they hadn't seen it, but the funny thing was neither of them could even smell it. To many animals, bears are just a normal part of the forest, but the clan had a bit of a "war" going on with the bear clan long before Nava was alpha. The bears were territorial and so were the wolves, needless to say, there was conflict.

The bear, groping its way through the burn, seemed distressed and panicked. These emotions made bears even more dangerous to wolves, especially because wolves could be a potential threat in a weakened state.

They fled, trusting their senses to lead them somewhere, they wordlessly followed each other just like they had done in the fire. A flash of brilliant white contrasted with the darkness overhead. A snowy owl soared high above to two- almost running with them before rising up and sitting atop a ledge. Their eyes could make out its brilliant white coat in the darkness. It was a fairly warm summer night for Alaska, but neither of them wondered what the owl was doing there, they just rushed passed it as they scrambled up the rocky ledge.

Their eyes following the owl, they noticed the space between the rocks above that yielded into a cave. That would do. The owl, giving a soft hoot- took off into the darkness, seeing its work was done.

There would be no following them, at least not for a bear anyways. It was doubtful the bear would even pursue the two, but the way it seemed to come from nowhere at the height of their anger had given them reason to want to put as much distance between the bear as they could. The last time they almost physically fought each other, the forest was sent ablaze.

"You know what…We're getting pretty good at that whole 'running for our lives' thing." Aleu panted incredulously as she slid to her belly along the stone floor.

She could feel the coolness against her warm coat and it sent tingles down her spine. Ironically, for the first time in a long time she felt a little relaxed. Maybe it was just the exhaustion.

"If we sleep now, we will need to move twice as fast tomorrow." Niju didn't share her humor, or her uncharacteristic relaxation. He sat rigid, facing the opening.

Maybe her words still bugged him, she admitted she hadn't know where they had come from but she was damn proud of herself for saying them. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he was thinking about how to kill her while she slept. Maybe that was his plan all along, if so she was glad he found her that much of a challenge that he would have to cheat and wait until she was sleeping. Maybe he was just a stiff, pigheaded, chauvinistic, battle-axe of a male who didn't want to fall asleep in front of her. Yeah. Maybe that was it.

* * *

><p>Aleu and Niju<p>

Cliff-side Cave

Before falling totally asleep, Aleu remembered smelling something akin to a sweet saltiness. Like that of a sea. Upon waking, she smelled it again- coming from inside the cave. Moreover, if she craned her neck just so and perked her ears just a bit, she swore she could almost hear it too. The faintest echo of a soft tide coming from...Inside the cave? On account of what happened the last time she went into a cave, she was always a little cautious.

Aleu smiled thinking about the day she first met Muru, but the bear waiting for her afterwards was enough to make her a little paranoid. That's why fate had "given" her Niju for a little while she guessed. It wasn't that she needed him, god no. It's just that the bear would probably find him a bigger threat and dispose of him first, giving her time to plan an escape. At least that's what she kept telling herself as she padded her way over as silently as she could to his sleeping mass.

He still wore a stubborn frown even in sleep, and snored softly. Otherwise he didn't really look all that different, just unguarded. Crouching down, she noticed how his whiskers twitched when her breath tickled him. She thought about giving him a scare, but when he suddenly shifted, she lost her nerve.

"…Niju…Niju!" She gave him a shake.

He grumbled and cracked his eyes open in the morning glow. She couldn't make out what he said. Suddenly aware he snapped to his feet.

"What? What's going on?" She could tell he was embarrassed at sleeping in, enough to make him cranky. "Well, out with it!" He stared wide-eyed at her, expectant.

"There's something inside the cave, I think." She sounded a little unsure of herself, and a little…fearful?

"Alive?" He stood to his full massiveness immediately, sounding concerned.

"Well...No- it..It sounds like the sea."

He gave her a glare. She bothered him just to tell him she was hearing things. "It's just the wind. We should go." He was impatient already and turned towards the door.

"No, wait a minute! I can smell it too." She said while lifting her nose to the air for proof.

Well he'd give her that one- she wasn't totally nuts because, truthfully, he smelled it too. A faint sea breeze inside what was otherwise a fairly dank cave. He slowed his moments to leave but didn't stop them entirely.

"Let's go check it out." Oh- she had to be joking.

Terrible time for it, but there was no possible way she could be serious. For starters she had said "let's" giving him the impression they were some kind of a team. He called her on it.

"If you want to come back here with a sled team to go exploring and play games with, I won't stop you. But you have a job to do, starting with my pack. Move it!" He turned back to bark at her, but she was truly relentless- already heading back into the darkness.

"Have you lost your mind?" His voice echoed on the walls.

"No…I- I just have a really good feeling about this."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes scornfully. This morning was starting out bad, and would continue to be such until she planted herself by his side and they were walking in the right direction.

"I'm sure you do, mutt. That's why I'm heading the other way." He sounded a bit more desperately impatient than he meant to. The truth was he hadn't moved in the other direction since he had lost sight of her from within the cave.

Her voice was more distant and echoed now. "Just come on Niju…" He gritted his teeth as her voice reverberated.

He heaved a sigh containing every curse known to wolf and tore after her. His eyes promised murder as he found her in the murky darkness. The cave was very tight and had many winds and bends.

The sound of their claws softly hitting the stone floor below them was the only sound between them for a moment. There was no light now, but they could still sense each other in the dark. Niju thanked his accursed whiskers (the subject of many a taunt in his youth) for guiding him in the dark. They would brush up against stone walls and pillars to let him know what was coming next, though they did little to help him when the floor seemed to give way into sudden dips at times. Aleu, though he couldn't see her, seemed to somehow be holding her own all right. The smell and steady "whooshing" from the sea grew stronger and louder as they pressed on. But it was a very gradual increase- just slow enough to make him wonder why he was going with her. They should have been going the opposite direction hours ago- how long had they been here anyways?

He started when she broke the silence. "Niju?" Her pace slowed as well. "How do you catch a caribou?"

That drew a long exhausted sigh from him. "You're asking _me_?" The familiar obnoxious guffaw.

" I thought I'd never see the day…" The laugh continued in the dark. "This is just too much!" His ego- despite the injuries it had received in the last few days, had probably just grown large enough to fill the entire cave and then some.

Her head- covered with a lovely soft down-like fur, butting hard against his chest was enough to shut him up for a minute, if not nearly knock him down at the sudden blow. The soft fur yielded a rock hard skull under it. That'd hurt.

Undeterred by his taunt otherwise, she demanded. "Niju, that was a question. If you're such an expert, than surly you must know. Or maybe…I shouldn't ask you. I could probably find a better hunter to tell me anyways. Sorry for the trouble."

Any creature with less pride would have been able to catch that she was clearly egging him on. But Niju only heard the challenge in her voice. "No, I can assure you, my methods are quite superior to your average clan member." He strode up to her in the darkness as they followed the dark path ahead.

"Well then- let's hear about it. If you can't show me, at least tell me what you do." And so he did.

While he bragged- Aleu found many of the things he said to be fairly educational. Having as much pride as Niju had could be a very dangerous trait- but right now Aleu was finding it very useful in tricking him just a teensy-bit. Plus she needed to know that her control wasn't totally gone, the cave was making her nervous.

He told her all about the subtleties of hunting and stalking prey, but every other sentence he would proceed to tell her "You really can't learn it by just hearing about it, you know. You have to experience it, that's the only way you'll ever get better." But then she would inquire about something further, and he would continue on. She did her best to look through his obvious brags, and get into the basic principles of hunting.

"Boy- Yak sure didn't see that one coming… The doe hit him straight on." Niju trailed off.

"So I guess you should always stay…Uh..Downwind from your prey, huh?" Aleu tried her best to keep up, and understand the principles of upwind and downwind as Niju had explained before.

Niju, however, seemed to have little patience for her mistakes. "Well, obviously you do, anyways, Yak and I went down to the lookout ridge for a better look next time and…"

He immersed himself back into his stories. His impatience didn't deter her, they'd been walking for hours and had little else do to.

After a while, Aleu noticed the salty smell becoming much stronger and a faint glow ahead, as it seemed.

Cutting Niju off mid-sentence, she trotted ahead. "Niju! Look! The other side must be getting closer!"

In his attempts to keep up with her, his tail somehow seemed to get tangled up in the process and he came down on his face. Startled by the noise she turned around just in time to see him on the cave floor. He hadn't tripped over his own tail since he was a pup.

When she couldn't suppress a giggle, he glared at her before getting up and charging after her. She stopped giggling abruptly and started running, she was lithe and a little faster than him, given a head start and all. She didn't run like she was afraid of him, but rather like she was playing…With _him_.

However, he vocally assured her that she was dead meat when he caught up with her, what he would really do- he wasn't sure. He'd really like to rip some tufts out of her luscious and delightfully soft looking fur. Yes, that'd do nice.

She wasn't just running from him, she was also running in her excitement to reach the end of the dreaded cave. As the glow become brighter and brighter, it was almost blood-red. It was clear they had been in that case for quite some time- the sun was dipping below the horizon in a brilliantly colored sundown. Aleu looked out and saw the sparkle of an ocean that lay hundreds of feet below.

Still running, she almost didn't notice how the exit of the cave led to a ledge that stopped abruptly. Her pretty blue eyes grew wide in shock as she desperately tried to skid to a stop, sliding on the rocks. Niju stopped just before she did- almost slamming into her.

Aleu managed to stop, but not before she caught a glimpse of the terrifying fate that awaited any who were unfortunate enough to drop off the edge. Sharp rocks whipped the sea up into a frothy churn hundreds of feet below her paws.

Gasping, she immediately backed away from the edge as quickly as she could, but not before backing into Niju. She noted how Niju had made no move to catch her when she had nearly skidded over the edge.

Now it was his turn to smile. Niju didn't giggle, but it had the same effect. "Impressive, mutt."

Aleu gritted her teeth at him, but managed to look like nothing more than a peeved teenager- though she was grown fully for the most part.

"If I'd fallen, Niju, who'd have taken you back to the pack? Who's going to get the pack to listen to you? Huh?" She got in his face, but his smile didn't waver. "Huh?"

Finally his grin slowly slide off his face and turned to a scowl at her insistence upon irritating him so.

He snorted brutishly in response and ignored her comment. It's been a while since he'd last eaten, and all the recent events had been quite straining on his body…but wolves could potentially go weeks without food if need be. He was just starting to consider prey, but he didn't feel the need for it. Yet.

"I wonder if there are any crabs down there…?" Aleu stepped towards the edge. He guessed she felt the same.

When part of the rocky edge gave away and crumbled a bit more under her weight, she immediately let out a "Yipes!" and stepped back away from the edge for good.

Niju rolled his eyes and turned to look at her. "Hungry?" He spoke dismissively.

Her soft yet intense blues hardened up once again. "No! But a meal would be nice…." She looked far off.

Niju shook his head. "Bad idea."

She was a little angry and alarmed at the simplicity of his statement and took a step towards him defiantly. "Oh? And why is that?"

Niju shrugged his broad shoulders a bit. "I'd rather make that swim in the morning on an emptier stomach, instead of a full one. _Apparently _there should be plenty of food on that "chosen land" across the way, anyways. " He gave her a cold glare.

Aleu nodded her head. The sun was almost fully down below the sky. Looks like she'd be spending the night next to two rocks. One of them being the cliffs, the other being her most disagreeable counterpart with the cooperation abilities that mirrored that of a rock and his chiseled features made him all the more rock like. They were also blocks that occasionally got in her way.

"Alright." She finally responded before heading back towards the cave entrance once again.

He followed suit. He sat down a few feet away from her, both faced the mouth of the cave. The day's beauty- they missed most of it, was on its last legs. The sun gave one last glow, before it dipped below the horizon. Aleu lay her head down, from the experience of her last journey- she was going to need the rest. Niju held his head up in a silent vigil.

Aleu knew telling him to sleep would be useless, so she remained silent. She could only wonder if his head was as overwhelmed as hers was. These had been some rough few days, and the morning's light would yield their toughest challenge yet.

Just before she surrendered to the world of dreams, she thought about how funny it was that she was with Niju throughout the worst of times- even when he wasn't directly the cause of it…Funny..


	6. Uncharted Waters

Aleu and Niju

Cliffside Cave Above the Sea

The day had come and they awoke. Every move they made was in silent preparation for the plunge. Neither thought about the actual jump, for they feared if they thought too hard, it would seem like willingly jumping into a watery grave.

They climbed down from the cave, and moved boldly to a less rocky edge in which to enter the sea. The climb itself was full of peril, with them starting from hundreds of feet above where they needed to be. When they finally made it to the desired edge, they both hesitated.

"Okay…" Aleu futilely muttered under her breath. She seemed lost in thought, as was Niju.

Niju was doubtful of this plan, as he had been all along. He thought he must be crazy to jump into the icy depths, to jump into uncertainty when he had solid ground right beneath his feet. He was bringing his dealings with Aleu and all of the near death experiences over the past few days to full circle now.

As a loner- he could scrape an existence, maybe. Live on rabbits for the rest of his days. He also had the curse of being a wolf, a pack animal. Even as infallible as he saw himself, he couldn't deny the void in his heart now that Nava was gone, and his pack had gone with some strange mutt. It was an existence he couldn't survive past the physical meaning of the word "survive", he'd become more empty that he feared he might already be.

He could escape this life, become what he knew he deserved to be, and gloat over his rival- but in moderation, Nava had taught him to restrain himself somewhat. Said Rival was standing next to him on the cliff right now. This plan of hers would involve him trusting her to know what she was doing. It was true she had survived the swim a few days ago, but if she could do it again was a question they both had.

"Aleu, I don't see any icebergs." He tested her, he wanted to see if she was just as doubtful as he was.

"Niju, I know!" Aleu snapped. " I-I don't see any either, but we have to take a chance. I made it last time… We'll just have to try for it!" She tried her best to sound experienced and seasoned at this. Her voice wasn't cooperating.

"Aleu, I found you collapsed on the beach… Or did you forget?" His temper flared as he faltered back a few steps. He tried his best to hide his uncertainly and blatant fear in a mask of misdirected anger at her.

"I know, Niju, I know!" She saw him take those hesitant steps backward.

"Niju, just- just trust me. We can do this. We survived a bear, a river and a forest fire. The water is calm- the time is now!" Her desperation was evident in her voice.

He walked forwards silently as did she. Reaching the edge, they took the plunge together- perhaps for the first time truly as a team.

The depths were icy now that their fur was drenched. They both came up for air, gasping with the frigidness of it. The morning sun warmed their coats as they surfaced. The way was clearly forward, but they needed to find some scrap of an ice floe. The sea wasn't nearly as cold as it would be in the winter, but without the sun even the summer temperatures could be lethal to those succumb with exhaustion. They swam forward silently for a few minutes, settling into the shock to the system.

"How long did this take you?" Niju asked Aleu first.

"I don't know …We just have to keep swimming on." Her beautiful eyes were pinned ahead, but she momentarily turned around to look at the landmass behind them to make sure they weren't accidentally turning.

Finding a very small island of ice gave them a glimmer of hope. They stopped for the briefest of moments to cling to it. Their bodies comfortably numb.

"So, now what?" Niju came off impatiently, while catching his breath. "Does this look familiar?" He added in between breaths, a little less crossly than his last statement.

Aleu shook her head. "No, not yet. But I think if we keep going we should find the big ice floes in the middle. They are sparse, but there is enough left to get from the middle to the pack-lands. That's why I tried to make it to the old-lands in the first place. What I didn't know was that the sparse floes would be almost completely gone after a certain point."

She still felt a little foolish- having arrived at the old-lands half-drowned and collapsed on the beach. Of course Niju had to be there to see it. In the cold water, Aleu felt her face burning. Niju smirked, and Aleu wanted to nip him until he bled.

Thankfully the smirk was replaced with an honest question. "Do you think we could just float on this one until we got closer to the center- where the ice floes were apparently greater in number?"

Aleu who was looking off into the distance with her paws and head resting on the ice-buoy, finally regarded him. "No, that'd take too long, and it may push us in the wrong direction. Plus the water will be much too cold for us at night."

He nodded. "Yes, it's much too small for either of us to climb on, and it would take a while."

Aleu looked off in the distance. "Yep. I'd really like to get out of here before _that_ hits, too."

Niju's brows knitted in confusion. For the first time in a few hours he regarded the sky, but the low rumble in the distance already confirmed his fears before his eyes could. There was undeniably a storm beginning to brew in the distance, a frequent occurrence in the summer. Big black and blue clouds were piling up; Niju could even feel the wind pick up as they moved at a dooming crawl- set on covering up the sky.

"Yes… We'd better keep moving." He swallowed audibly in his fear; it was evident in his face that he was petrified.

He avoided her gaze, damn her sympathy. Little mutt should be apologizing for her horrible planning. He berated himself mentally for listening to her, against what must have been his better judgment.

Finally letting go of the ice floe, they swam with a new energy between them- Niju could feel his hate for her bubbling up once more. Keeping optimistic, he thought of all the ways he could humiliate her when he reached the new lands. He wanted her to stick around- every pack needs an Omega, after all. Entertainment, stress relief and knowing someone was always worse off than you were very important in keeping a pack healthy and all an essential part of an Omega's role. Traditionally, clan members were encouraged to humiliate and taunt the Omega. Of course, when Nava came to power he eliminated the role of Omega completely, he found it too cruel. Niju yearned to change that rule.

They kept going until the landfall they had come from became a very small dot on the horizon.

After the blue-blackness and soft rumbling had covered up the sun, the water churned more and more. They could both feel the wind biting at them as it whistled past them- sealing up their fate as the clouds blew together and fully cloaked the sky in a darkness that preceded most storms. The sun was just beginning to show the signs of its late afternoon glow, when it was smothered by the storm clouds.

Saltwater filled up Aleu's mouth as she and Niju were bounced up and down by the water which was rapidly working itself to a rolling boil in its wild frothiness. They had to madly paddle under waves before they crashed on top of them and work their way back to the surface when they didn't make it underneath the crashing wave crest in time.

Colliding with something solid, Aleu called out to Niju just after bobbing to the surface. The thunder was becoming less and less distant now as she struggled to make herself clear over it.

"Niju! Over here!" He fought the water to make it over and cling to the solid chunk of ice she'd found. It was almost as small as the one from before- but big enough for both of them to cling on using their paws.

She'd kinda just saved him- but he'd have figured it out, he liked to think. The ice floe made the fight to stay afloat a bit easier, but the iron grip they had to apply to keep from slipping off in the choppy sea was almost painful.

They both turned at the sound of what sounded like a hundred waves crashing. In the distance the horizon blurred as one by one the clouds above them burst and released what seemed to be a second sea above their heads. They winced as the torrential downpour came closer and closer, until it was finally upon them. The storm was here.

Twisting and turning, the way the wind blew the rain against their faces made it almost impossible to tell which way was underwater and which way was the surface. Thunder cracked deafeningly and the lighting was a spectacular sight. Aleu kept calling out for Niju, but never quite finished before the water would crash down upon them. She could barely see him amidst the chaos, but she could feel his paws underwater.

"Niju! Whatever you do-" she was cut off by a wave sending them underwater again. The ice-buoy proved most useful as it rocketed to the surface while they clung to it.

"Don't let go!" One of her paws gripped his. She had lost her grip on the icefloe under the water, and was clinging onto him. He shouted above the thunder from the sky and the waves.

"I'm not! I promise!" He promised before he could think of who he was promising to.

Despite all of their past experiences, letting go didn't cross his mind for a moment. Even while his mind was lost in the chaos, his body seemed to still remember his plan, and how Aleu was instrumental to it.

Lighting cracked as the sea seemed suck them forward infinitely. The water had gone still for a moment but as the lightning flashed again- they could see why. A huge wave had formed before them, rising up higher than any had before and they were too late to get out of the way. Then _it _happened.

It crashed down upon them- splintering the ice buoy they'd clung to and forced Aleu and Niju apart. They reached wildly for each other underwater, but the boiling current sent them tumbling apart. In an instant he'd been forced to break his promise. He rocketed to the surface by his own propulsion and called out to her. She sounded back- farther away than before. Over the crash of the waves around him- he couldn't make out what she was desperately screaming to him. "Aleu! I'm coming back for you!"

He didn't know how he could help her or himself by finding her in the storm, but they'd figure it out. He called out once again after making his way to the surface. "Aleu!" She sounded distant through the booms of thunder. He heard her call out his name, but she was cut off suddenly.

Another wave sent him under as it hit him square on. When he surfaced, he thrashed wildly, searching for her form or voice anywhere in the chaotic waters. He heard nothing and saw even less as he was thrown about like a ragdoll by the sea. He. Would. Find. Her.

He collided with something heavy against his head. Instinctually he hauled himself onto the object- but it pitched violently and he was thrown under. He groped through the waters, and found it once more. This time he just held on with his upper body. He'd found another icefloe that the storm hadn't destroyed.

Niju called out to Aleu one more, but received no answer, but he tried again and again- his eyes searching madly for any glimpse of her. He continued to strain his ears for any sign of her- even as the sea began to grow calm once again and the booming stopped. The rain stilled to a drizzle, and then nothing.

The sea stilled eerily around him, and the clouds began to dissipate one by one. Just how cold that water was began to gnaw at him as the stars were born from what were once dark clouds. He didn't think about swimming back, he knew he was trapped.

His rage with the halfbreed dissolved along with his body heat. She didn't foresee the storm- which meant Aniu hadn't helped her. She was just as lost as he was, now, guideless and not trusted with power that should "rightfully" be hers. He knew the bitter taste of that sentiment.

The fall of night and rise of the moon didn't deter him. The cold of the water was becoming overwhelming now- Niju could feel a shiver set in. He stopped calling out and paddling the icefloe madly, his eyes, however, never stopped their search as he floated along. Time passed slowly as the night wore on. His back legs were numb, and felt unmovable now, so he just floated on.

He briefly thought about falling asleep, but whatever was left of his commonsense told him he would never wake again if he did that. He felt fairly sure his luck had run out, but he'd had a promise to keep. His fate wouldn't be so unbearable if he could just fulfill that one last thing. It wasn't in Niju's nature to break promises. His father had called him a liar and a schemer, and Niju would rather face death than let his father be right about him. If he didn't keep a promise, then what made him anything but a liar?

He wondered if Nava had reflected like this, before his passing. Niju wondered if Nava had anything he'd left unfinished or unfulfilled, ever, in his entire life.

Knowing Nava, he was probably perfectly content- but then Niju remembered with what frantic urgency Nava had sent him out to "find a new light." It occurred to Niju, he might never figure out what those cryptic words meant, but right now finding Aleu was more important. Before Niju could make the coherent connection, he saw some movement ahead.

Among what appeared to be fragments of ice much too small to float on, he could make out a figure. The figure of his greatest struggles and his greatest triumphs…None other than Aleu.

She was clinging to an icefloe that was barely big enough, but she was clearly alive- or so he thought. He tested his voice quivering with the cold. "Aleu?"

* * *

><p>Aleu and Niju<p>

Night upon the Frozen Sea

He had found her. Her eyes weakly lit up in the moonlight as they grazed over him. She was huddled onto an ice floe that was smaller than his. She was shivering violently as she instinctively let go of hers and clung onto his. She could barely paddle with just her front legs, but she somehow managed.

The floe tipped and swayed violently, so neither of them could actually get onto it from the water, now that both of their blacklegs were so stiffly rigid and freezing, plus the exhaustion that set in after the storm, they weren't sure they could, anyways. She held on right next to him. He swore he could feel her warmth through the numbness and her clouded breath melted the faint ice crystals forming on his whiskers.

"So mutt, I guess thi-this is how it always is going to be, huh?" Niju shivered and stammered through his words, but he regarded her with a rare smile.

Aleu nodded, the moon on the water was the same rich blue as her eyes. "Ye-yeah. We m-make some te-team, huh?"

He could only nod at that. "W-we certainly do."

Even in this state, she knew she should be asking for favors. But knowing what the future had in store for them, she was clear headed now. He didn't really let go- he didn't forget her. In this whole wide sea, he was fated to find her again. Knowing her life was meant to go like this, let her accept the fact that her life was drawing to an end. She didn't know if he was ready to accept it; she'd lead him into this, but he still came back for her, just like he had promised in the heart of the storm. "Ni-Niju?"

"Hmph?" His breath was a blue cloud as the moon illuminated it.

"I-I just wanted to s-say thanks." When he gave her his best attempt at a confused glance she covered her small paw over his. "I-I have never been s-so close to knowing who I am than I a-am right now." She finished the last sentence in one exhale as to minimize her trembling stutter.

They both knew this wasn't the first time they had been tested by the elements as a team, only to be thrown together at the end, barely alive- but somehow together. "O-our luck m-may have r-run out this t-time…But I know w-we were f-fated to be in th-this as a clan. Aniu h-hasn't f-forgotten m-me or you. S-she planned i-it to be th-this way."

She gave him a frozen grin, her teeth appeared blue in the moonlight. Ice crystals were faintly present on her cheeks. His warming breath melted them and her muzzle was near his ear when she whispered. "N-Niju…I-I know I c-can surv-vive when you're w-with m-m-me." She needed to speak while she could, the shivering was getting stronger. She needed him to know. One more favor.

"I-I know Aniu is with m-me. D-Don't leave h-here without me." She trembled into him, her voice quivering. She felt as if it was no longer Niju beside her, not the Niju she was familiar with.

"A-Aniu or not…You have m-my word." Niju's voice was shaky, but his promise wasn't. They would join Aniu and Nava together.

"Aleu! L-look!" Niju rose his head to the sky as the dark waters around them were suddenly aglow. Aleu could only manage a gasp. Unless her eyes had failed her- there were the aurora borealis.

The most beautiful lights imaginable lit up the sky with violent shades of green with faint pink, purple and blue hues that stretched far into the lonely atmosphere above. Aleu sighed contentedly. She had no more will to fight for her life and neither did he. So, it seemed that whatever was left of their time here was to be full of the splendor of Aniu's wonders and the company of each other. Her body was numb to its own freezing by now, but her heart felt warmth spreading. Dying alone would be such an awful fate; she thanked Aniu she wouldn't have to be alone.

"Th-they're beautiful." She shivered, a little dazed and distant. She wondered how long she might have to view them before the world would go dark.

Being on the edge had put them closer and weakened their barriers and inhibitions. It made them raw and exposed their kinder natures like nothing else could. Niju felt the warmth inside difficult to fathom. Bu it didn't matter now.

"Y-yes. Be-beautiful." His gaze was no longer on the lights, but rather upon the way the lights reflected in her eyes and the way they illuminated her face in a way the moon couldn't. He wondered if he should ask Aleu to rest her muzzle against his and close their eyes together. He shook fiercely and she scooted until she could move no closer. They faced the lights which seemed to intensify in their luster suddenly.

They were both startled and jolted violently when their floe struck against something. Something much larger.

They faced forward and their gaze was rewarded with the sight of a much larger ice floe. They couldn't believe their eyes. They even hesitated at swimming for it- being so ready for the welcome oblivion. It occurred to Aleu that Aniu might have changed her plans, or they just got lucky, if it wasn't already too late.

After exchanging glances and reaching an understanding, they made a swim for it. Their movements were jerky seeing as their back legs were currently fairly rigid and their front paws were shaking violently but they finally made it over. Clambering on top of the slippery-but-solid-and-steady floe was a different story. Aleu made it a few feet, but her small front claws were not sufficient without the aid of her back claws which she couldn't currently feel or move.

Niju used his larger claws to dig into the ice and haul himself onto the floe. His back legs were essentially dragging behind him as he reached for Aleu's scruff to pull her after him. If he were truly evil, he would say he helped her as a form of self preservation. But of course it was much deeper than that now. The fact seemed to be that together they were lucky, no matter where he was- as long as she was with him, he had a hope of survival.

Their breath came in shivering pants as they lay on the floe. Wordlessly they embraced, struggling to find what little warmth they could in one another. They shifted positions until they found one that felt a little warmer. It mostly consisted of him lying on top of her as their bellies warmed each other. Periodically they shifted positions until they could feel their back legs again. They ached, badly.

Niju could finally laugh at their fate. A few breathless chuckles came forth. Aleu followed suit as they finally had the dexterity to curl their bodies around each other. They were far from warm, but perhaps not fatally chilled. If they could just make it through the night…Luckily the sea was calm now.

"Niju…" Aleu's voice was a bit husky- but not weak and broken by the quake of her body any more. She wanted to say so many things now that his face touched hers. She could feel his breath warm her cheeks. "Have you…Have you ever had someone you couldn't live without?" She could feel his head shake.

"No. Not physically. Until now. This is…strangely physical, the actual meaning of that right now." He exhaled his exhaustion, but contentment. His chest felt strangely warm. His body had stopped quaking as well.

"If I close my eyes, will you be here in the morning?" She still felt a little dazed, like after the forest fire when they washed up on the river bank.

This time he pressed his broad jaw into hers but not out of a necessity for warmth- but general reassurance. A pack-mate's move of comfort.

"I don't have a choice, I can't stay away. Fate won't let me." He half joked.

In order to leave, he'd have to leave the ice floe, her warmth and something else that he couldn't see…but rather feel inside of himself. Sort of how he'd come to feel for Nava, but lacking the admiration aspect...But possessing something additional he couldn't currently identify.

"Hmm.." Aleu drifted.

He rest his cheek against hers, almost wanting to revel in the feel of her silky looking fur against his tongue. However, if he did that his saliva would evaporate and leave her colder. Plus he didn't want to change the way things were, on so many levels.

Aleu mumbled something against him as she drifted off, her paws tucked underneath herself. He let himself finally rest his eyes, but not before glancing once more at the lights over head. With their fur mostly dry, there was no risk of freezing while they slept, being adapted for the arctic, their fur could insulate them perfectly, so long as it was dry. Together they would face the dawn.

* * *

><p>Aleu and Niju<p>

Sunrise upon an Icefloe

Aleu was the first to stir, immediately followed by Niju. They had not slept for long, but the faintest orange glow of the dawn was visible in the cloudless sky. They could feel it softly warming their now completely dry fur. They huddled closer as it broke free of the horizon. Aleu yawned, nudged closer to Niju and drifted back to sleep. She was waiting for the mid afternoon- when the water was warmest to take action. He laid his head down again, knowing their survival was still precarious with no sight of a landfall. He felt the need to speak. He silently asked Nava to give him help, so the words didn't come out a jumbled mess.

"Aleu…I don't really know how to phrase this…So…I suppose..." He seemed to find clearer speech. "I thank you, halfbreed... I feared leaving the homelands, to live beyond tradition…The change it would bring… You showed up and… You made me accept my fate. I've spent my whole life trying to fight it. I've been trying change and control the design for so long." He spoke as if there was still sea water in his throat. Almost as if the words he spoke were causing him pain.

"Perhaps I am not in total control of my design, but rather just a part of it." He sounded a little distant, staring off into the sunrise.

Aleu could feel the frustration that boiled inside him, as always. He stressed the word "perhaps", as if there was still something that remained to be seen. That he might still be right after all this time and Nava might be wrong.

He never turned to look her in the eyes. "But I should have already known that well."

Aleu couldn't find anything to follow that statement. She didn't need to. She curled up tight and rested again.


	7. Detour

[I must apologize that it has been so long coming. More to come, so check back soon- enjoy.]

Aleu and Niju

Afternoon Upon the Sea

Aleu's heart was racing as she paddled through the sun warmed waters. She could still feel a slight chill that made her body ache with the memory of the previous night. Seeing the lights in the sky, and being so close to the edge between this life and the next made it all seem like a vision that Aniu had designed. But her body still felt so drained.

"Yes! This is the remains of the ice bridge on the side of the new lands. These will take us straight there!" Aleu yipped in her excitement as she clambered aboard one floe, hopped to the next and so on.

Niju, still dubious about her certainty remained a few hops behind. Aleu fumbled over the crumbled bits of the floes that got stuck in her paw pads and had the occasional slip into the waters, but was insistent in her pace.

Niju thought about her utter hurry. He wondered if she was in a hurry to leave him with the pack or if she hurried because she had changed her mind and planned to take the reins as leader of the clan once more. Only a few days back they had been thrown together and he wondered if fate would still pity him when she was gone. If she was gone. Aniu may have very well planned for her to be thrown back into his path if she did choose to leave for home. The White Wolf seemed to be favoring that arrangement lately.

"There it is! Ohh, I can see it!" Aleu beamed as she stood on the edge of the icefloe. She noticed that the floes pretty much ended here and the remaining distance to the new lands would have to be swum. It didn't deter her- she'd done the impossible already. Although returning to Nome before the winter was also unfeasible, she figured.

Niju almost hadn't noticed he caught up with her, until she started talking.

"I guess I'll have to wait for next winter…" She took a slightly mournful look back complete with a perfect sigh. "I really don't know what comes next, but I obviously can't go back that way. I barely made it last time."

So that predicament from last night hadn't changed her mind. She still had her mind wrapped around the idea of going home. He supposed it was all for the better. Niju couldn't figure out why he wasn't one hundred percent damn sure 'it was for the better', though. This was supposed to be simple, and he forced himself not to question it. This made things simple.

"But you _did_ make it, didn't you?" He felt the need to barb her. For some reason irking her until she was reduced to the teenager he'd first met had an unusual rush to it. He needed to know he was on top.

Her eyes narrowed at his tone and she unglued her eyes from the horizon and turned to him. "Yes I did… However I have decided to stay until next winter. I never want to be reduced to a night like last night again." She had spoken truly like an Alphess. His barb had backfired.

She'd sounded way too sure of herself and the world around her for Niju's likes. Perhaps he should remind her of her inability to hunt. However, he still needed her to hand his rightful power over first. He didn't trust the inner huffy teen in her to not come out and spoil his chances and the clan's survival out of spite. He knew how evil she had been to them, masquerading as a wise leader who had broken their trust…

He softened his glare. She'd helped him after all, so she couldn't be totally irredeemable.

"So, I take it you'll be with the clan until winter." Niju waited for her to nod.

"Well, since you have been of such use to me thus far, I suppose I won't make you the omega I was planning on making you." He smugly smiled and jutted his chiseled chin out.

"_Well," _She interjected on his smugness. "I guess it's clearly not in my best interest to trust you with power until I leave then." She laid out a slight to match his own.

At this he rankled. Oh. The bitchy halfbreed was back. He knew she was trying to hide, but he always found her in the end with his words.

" You and I both know you were a pathetic excuse for a leader! Would you really endanger the clan you claim to love so? All your new friends?" His words dripped with bitter malcontent. "If you can even call them that…" He spat darkly, not forgetting her comment about the distrust of her position that spread through the pack.

"At least I have friends." Her own petty insult embarrassed her. Aleu felt her rage bubbling beneath the surface. He knew how to rile her so perfectly, she wondered if Aniu hadn't planned for her to lose her mind right here and right now.

"Careful, Mutt. I almost ended you before Daddy stepped in. We're on an icefloe again… Ironic." He took predatory steps. " Unlike you, I can do it again." He added a remark about her inability to swim back to the old lands once again. He prided himself with that clever retort.

"I thought last night you were all about saving m-" Just as she had taken a step forward to meet him in the middle the icefloe collapsed from beneath them with a resounding crack. Niju made a very discreditable yelp in surprise right along with Aleu's and they both went tumbling into the depths once more.

They scrabbled their way to the surface and stared wide eyed at each other for a few moments whilst coughing and sputtering. Oh. That again.

Niju finally found his words in response. " Yes… Yes I was. You are essential in establishing me into my rightful position." Niju had less trouble saying it this time, he was getting used to admitting this to her. They'd been over it a few times.

Aleu couldn't help but think 'Yeah, your rightful position as an omega.' But she got control of her emotion and kept her mouth gracefully shut.

As if he could read her thoughts he added, "As Alpha." to his last statement. He wasn't going to give her the chance to even attempt to jab at him.

As Aleu treaded water she rolled her eyes. So he was still playing that game. Oh well, she would let him. She had bigger fish to catch… Kinda.

" Well I'm going to return to the clan, I didn't come all this way to sit and argue with you in ice cold water." Aleu turned her back on him and swam off.

Niju wasn't happy with her superior tone. He was becoming less and less content with being stuck with her until winter. Maybe he should stop trying to redeem her in his mind until she actually transferred power over to him. At any rate, he really wanted to get out of this damn water, he really hated water. He blamed his father for that one.

Aleu gave another quiet sigh as the landmass become larger and larger on the horizon. Yes, it wouldn't be long now. She remembered how she and Papa used to swim for hours in the lake in the spring. She recalled his story of almost drowning in that lake when a bear attacked him. That was on his hero's quest. If only he could hear about all she'd done now. She ached to tell him and blow him away with all her stories about how grown up his "baby" was now.

She swam on with a few fleeting glances back at Niju until he caught up with her. He apparently saw no reason she should be in the lead when the way forward was so clear now, so he began to push ahead. Aleu ignored his attempts to dominate. She would be the bigger wolf here.

* * *

><p>Aleu and Niju<p>

The New Lands

Just as the all too familiar feeling of fatigue set in, Aleu finally dragged herself to shore. She'd missed Niju's first moments in his new home seeing as he was already catching his breath on the beach, having arrived before she did. She crawled out of the tide and onto the sand and brush covered part of the shore. Niju lay in the bushes next to her.

"So... We've made it." He panted, a little more incredulous than he'd meant to sound.

She stood and he made to stand too.

"Now I presume you will take me to the clan." He tried not to sound like a pup giddy with the excitement of growing his first adult incisors.

"I'm going to find something to eat first." Aleu avoided his gaze and turned to her surroundings instead.

Niju blinked. She. Was. Utterly. Intolerable. "What?" He stated, dangerously quiet.

"I've done that journey twice with little to nothing to eat, I'm so hungry- I might go as crazy as Sumac if I don't get something in my belly!" She added with a smile and began sniffing the ground.

Oh she'd get something in her belly alright… His teeth. She didn't even give him a second glance and yet she attempted to joke with him about someone he'd once called a minio- friend. He meant friend. He guessed her attempt at a lighter mood meant she wanted something from him. He sure as hell wasn't about to catch a deer for her.

But with a growling in his belly he couldn't help but follow her to see what she might turn up.

She soon smelled a familiar food. It wasn't much but it'd do. Clams. Digging with her paws she dug up a few buried in the sand. Her small but sturdy claws made quick practiced work of the shell and a gulp later it was on to the next clam. She disliked the wormy and slimy taste they provided, for she really had a taste for bigger game but it wasn't like she could catch any for herself.

Niju watched in disgust from the sidelines. She was a disgrace to Aniu, reduced to eating such lowly pickings. Perhaps he'd hunt for himself after all; he wouldn't be caught dead eating a clam.

"I can hear your stomach from over here… These are pretty good pickings here, Niju." She talked with her mouth adorably full, so it came out rather muffled. She was so hungry that she'd stuffed her plush cheeks to the brim with such unappetizing food.

"You're a disgrace to Aniu." Niju still looked on in utter distaste.

"Whatever. At least I'm not going to starve out of pride." She went on her merry way with the slippery clam meat.

"I'll just wait until you're done. Then I'll give you a demonstration of the prowess of a _real_ hunter." Niju felt smugly above.

Aleu was beaming more than he was internally, though. She knew her plan had worked. She just hoped Niju wouldn't eat all of what he caught, she hoped he'd only have to show her once and then she'd be proficient enough to not need the aid of anyone anymore.

"Hmpph." She huffed, and made a show of eating a few more clams for effect. Only then did she swallow her mouthful with one last shudder and make her way over to him.

He was making his way towards the evergreens that lined the shore and fed into the mountainous forest that laid out the land before them. The mountain was very worn down and could be climbed in a few hours probably. He could see much higher ones with snow covered peaks further in the distance. He had a feeling he would be climbing this minor one later. The pack might be on the other side, most of the land was hidden from view behind it. It was short but impressively broad.

Aleu yipped as she stumbled over a stray root. In her effort to stalk into the forest as he did, she only seemed to make things worse. She could almost see Niju's eyes roll. Just as she thought she'd better pay closer attention to her footing, she crashed head first into Niju, effectively crunching her muzzle against his hip.

Okay…So apparently she'd failed to notice he'd stopped suddenly in her path.

"Hey! What're you doing?! Why'd you stop in the middle of th-" He ignored her collision and snapped his head toward her , cutting her short. "Shhh! be quiet, you fool!" She gave him a glare which he also took no notice of.

He lifted his head to his full height and took a powerful breath in through his large nostrils. He picked up her distracting and familiar scent, but moreover he smelled a moose calf. A calf would do very nicely, perfect place for a lone calf to be hiding too. Niju figured its mother must have abandoned it or perished because it was most definitely alone. He smelled no trace of another individual.

His proud demeanor had changed before Aleu's eyes into that of a lowly croucher. He looked somehow more deadly now, as he narrowed his eyes and crept forward. Aleu made her best effort keep up with his silent stalk, but fell short as she fumbled through the underbrush. She was nervous yet excited when she saw the prey for the first time, she couldn't help but stare. It seemed as if Niju has taken no notice of their young and vulnerable prey as it grazed unaware on the gradual slope.

"Niju there's the ca-" She had intended to whisper in the most silent of studious whispers, until he cut her off with a glare fit to turn her insides into the icy sea. She then understood how crucial this moment was when the calf abruptly stopped grazing to look straight at her.

Aleu held her breath and stayed stock still in the underbrush, she could see Niju was already edging closer totally undetected. For all the upfront rugged arrogance he possessed, it was odd to watch him stalk so masterfully. Aleu was beginning to feel some dread; the calf looked fairly healthy for having been prematurely orphaned, perhaps there was a better and more aged target. Of course a large moose would be almost impossible to fell without a pack. Aleu was increasingly feeling torn, ready to be independent, yet glad she didn't have to kill this one.

Niju was startlingly patient, until the moment was savagely shattered. Rushing forward with grace she didn't think possible, Niju was on the calf. Niju had gotten so close to the youngster that no chase was necessary. Aleu was close on Niju's tail, but she quickly turned away as the youngster struggled. Its throat was gripped between two massive jaws. His massive claws tore at the underbelly of the calf, and it struggled futilely.

Aleu waited for the killing blow, she waited for the sounds of hooves scuffling along the grasses to stop.

His voice in the middle of it all startled her. "Halfbreed, get over here!"

Angry at being ordered about like a subordinate she growled at him while she made her way over to the still struggling youngster. The calf was on its side and Niju was laying with it, its neck in his mouth.

"What Niju?!" She ordered irritably.

"Finish it."

Even though his voice was muffled by the downy fur of the calf, Aleu could make him out loud and clear. The very thing she dreaded, of course he demanded it of her.

"No…It's your kill, you finish it! "She wanted to sound merely confused, instead of how hesitant she really felt.

"Just as I thought…Weak, halfbreed…" He held the poor creature still- its blood began to stream down his chest.

"Niju, just do it! Can't you see it's suffering?! Stop it!" Aleu raved at him, not sure who she was angrier at, herself or him.

"I knew you didn't have it in you! Pathetic, you're a true disgr-" It was Aleu's turn to cut him off with a sudden fatal bite to the neck of the calf, effectively soaking them in warm blood.

Aleu was panting with exhilaration and looked over what she had just done. She'd done the most effective thing by ending the calf's suffering and shutting Niju up. She still found Niju actions intolerable. As she turned to glare at him she was shocked to find that he was already digging into the warm flesh.

Aleu had no quarrels with the taste of their prey now that it was all over, she sought to dig in on the other side of the carcass.

"Mmmf…I should have you know, this is very generous of me." Niju spoke while tearing shreds of flesh of from between the ribs. His face was a crimson mess now and Aleu's wasn't much better.

"Oh? Really…?" She spoke while she dug in further.

"This was my kill and I should eat first. But I figured the faster we eat, the sooner we get back to the pack." As soon as he finished speaking he went back to eating so ferociously that bits of meat were flying in all directions.

A bit of meat hit Aleu on the muzzle, she wrinkled in distaste at her eating partner- before proceeding to lick it into her own mouth.

" But I'm the one who killed it." Aleu quipped with her mouth full of meat.

Niju stopped to let out another obnoxious laugh. "Without me- you never would have even smelled it before scaring it off!" He resumed his beastly eating.

To this she didn't respond, she merely made a futile attempt to out-eat him until the carcass was all but stripped. That was a lucky kill, a nice bit of meat for a minimal effort. Very lucky indeed, hunting was usually a very dangerous affair for both hunter and hunted.

Aleu had filled herself up a good amount, but didn't feel gorged. Niju was satisfied for now. They left for the pack in better spirits.


	8. The Clan

[A/N: Been a while, eh?] 

Aleu and Niju

The New Lands

* * *

><p>Niju was explaining how dangerous hunting could be, probably doing his best to scare her- but unwittingly teaching her.<p>

It was then that Aleu suddenly burst from his side and ran forth- he followed her into the valley. There were some bluffs, but it was mostly a mountainside forest. The trees thinned into a large riverside clearing, and large boulders announced the beginning of a mountain whose peak was so high it likely had snow on the top. Niju noticed places where the tall grass has been mashed down form heavy use; there were likely caves and dens in that direction. These lands were a sight to see.

Aleu felt like she had just come home, but it was bittersweet. She had never been more confused about where home truly was than at this moment. Her silent reverie was broken by a movement just inside her field of vision. She could make out the familiar outline of a pack member just before they disappeared through the bluffs and into the forest. She recognized them as a scout. Perhaps he would announce her arrival to the pack.

Filled with anxiousness to greet her pack she waited with bated breath. She howled-one of her only true talents in the world beyond a domestic pet, and continued to wait. It wasn't long before she received a reply, and then another and another. Soon the land around her was full of harmonic voices one hundred strong. Aleu was overjoyed to hear them, but found it odd that they were in such high and strong spirits; they had certainly been worse off before she'd left them.

"Sisters, brothers!" She called out as wolves of all different shapes and sizes burst forth from the trees. She had attempted to sound as wise as Nava, but was unable to fully capture his effect. It was all noses and tongues now as she was most enthusiastically greeted.

"Aleu-you've returned!" and "Oh, we were so worried! It must have been weeks!" were all plentiful phrases at this time.

But it was a particular phrase from none other than Sumac that caught her attention. "Ohh Aleu! Much has changed….ehhh Yes!" Completed with some of his manic nodding he did in extreme excitement.

Aleu turned to him almost immediately, clear interest and excitement written on her face. " Yeah, something must have-you all seem so happy! What's going on?"

There was a very sudden shift in atmosphere and suddenly everyone shifted uncomfortable. Many even stared at Sumac with a clear glare written on their faces.

Sumac being Sumac looked around and asked "Ehh…Vhat?" Nuk gave him a hard nudge.

Aleu cocked her head as many pack members turned their gaze down. "What? What happened?" She inquired as she took a few steps forward.

As another member stepped forward, Aleu could scarcely remember their name. "You see Aleu…There's been a shift."

Aleu narrowed her eyes in suspicious curiosity. She couldn't quite understand what was going on, or why everyone was acting in this strange manner. They all seemed to sympathetic or shamefaced even. "What kind of shift…?" She added with suspecting inflect.

Tails stopped wagging as everyone gave her a wide berth. Another anonymous member with their head bowed approached her. "Well… Perhaps you'd better follow me."

Aleu looked briefly for Niju, not finding him- she strode behind her fellow clan member. The clan member led her through the gorge; she was familiar with this place. When they had arrived at the new lands the clan's three most elder members had selected a cave to reside in that was located here. Coming to the mouth of the cave, the clan member stood beside the entrance and looked uneasy for a bit before taking off and vanishing into the bluffs.

Aleu could only be perplexed. Perhaps one of the elders had died…? That was the only reason she could think of as she entered. She was worried yet morbidly curious as to why everyone was displaying such odd behavior. Something was clearly off kilter.

It was humid and dark inside as Aleu struggled to find her footing. Her ears were rounder than a wolf's but just as efficient while she swiveled them to try and pick up what her senses were missing. The walls finally opened up to a larger chamber where three large figures could be made out. It was brighter in here Aleu noticed. As she looked up she could see gaps in the rock that made up the ceiling thus streams of sunlight were filtered through.

"We have eagerly awaited your return." A warm, elderly female voice spoke.

Aleu recognized the three figures as the pack's three oldest members. They were the only elders able to make the swim to these lands. Seeing all three of them here, Aleu was even more perplexed as to why she was brought here.

"Elders… I have missed you all so much! But-what has happened in my absence?"

The elders all exchanged looks. There was the oldest with thick bushy brows, whose mate had apparently died years before now. Then there was an old mated couple- as age had ripened them it had soured their love. The male was rather frail with a long tufted beard and the female was nearly toothless.

The female spoke again. "Aleu… It has been decided by the clan that we shall assume leadership… We are the most experienced, we know the ways of the clan…"

The bushy-browed male interjected redundantly, "Our wisdom is apparent in our years!".

The female smiled a rather toothless grin. "We are happy you have returned to us- but we cannot let you assume your old role, your extended absence plunged the pack into hopelessness, and they depended on us to guide them through the darkest of times. Their faith in us is a time honored gift, thus we will cherish it and it is our responsibility to uphold their trust."

The female's male counterpart summarized her statement. "Thus we shall not disappoint Aniu, the clan and certainly not Nava. You are a welcome and most privileged member of our pack once more. We welcome you home, Aleu."

The whole ensemble participated in the greeting. But Aleu remained speechless. She merely stared wide-eyed as everything she had fought for seemed to disappear. But, did she need another sign that she was meant to belong elsewhere?

She didn't need to speak, for it was then that Niju made himself known once again. Aleu had almost forgotten he had been with her almost the entire journey, and of their plan- that was now void. He stood proudly in the entrance to the large chamber. And looked beyond displeased.

"I see the great Nava was to be succeeded by a failing mutt…" Aleu raised her hackles at Niju's words.

"But despite her failings, her reign cannot hope to contend with the demise and dissent that will ensue under the leadership of the three greatest parasites this pack has to offer." His words were designed to cut them down, and mock their frail physiques.

Aleu turned in shock- though such behavior from Niju shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. The elders remained stoic as ever.

The female offered him few words. "Niju….You have also dared to return to us?"

Niju strode towards them. "I came to claim my position…A position I now shall take pleasure in claiming from those who hated me from my beginning days in this pack."

The elders exchanged distasteful glances once more. Aleu remained silent; now knowing this was a feud that seemed forged long before this day. These were Nava's most loyal and closest followers and friends. It seemed no wonder they would clash.

The male with the largest beard climbed down from his rocky perch to circle and assess Niju. " I never liked your kind… You left your birth pack at a disgracefully young age, you never looked back, and your kind never does. Your birth pack needs the support of youths to survive, yet you leave it to rot. Then you try so hard for dominance, you become obsessed and consumed with the power it could offer you. You obsess over controlling a realm to which you could never belong…"

"Silence, you aging fool!" Niju yelled with such force that it gave Aleu a bit of a start.

The bearded male's toothless female counterpart spoke again. "Niju, you forget yourself. You may be strong- that cannot be denied. But the clan is set against you. Surely you know you cannot win against them. You need acceptance from the alphas." Yes, Niju knew that well.

The last elder with the bushy brows finally spoke. "We ask that you leave Niju, attacking Nava and detaining him from his clan has deemed you worthy of exile."

Aleu was surprised yet again at the force of the elders. Niju took a step forward and narrowed his brows. The growling that ensued could not have come from the three elders alone- it seemed to surround them. Niju stunned Aleu as he turned around, and passed her without even a glance.

It was only when he had reached the entrance to the cave that he afforded the elders a backwards glance. "You old fools, you're all damned." The words were spoken in a normal tone and volume, yet the hate emanating from his glance and words was nearly impossible for Aleu to grasp. Niju exited the chamber.

Aleu felt as if she had been looking the way of Niju's departure for hours after he left, just staring. Whatever had just happened, she could hardly muster the strength to understand. Part of her felt a terrible loss and disappointment- but she wasn't sure what it was directed towards. Perhaps the unexpected loss of her position. But she had planned for that all along, hadn't she?

It was then the more warmhearted and bushy browed elder approached her transfixed form. "As much as I'd like to have a young energetic leader…Perhaps you're too young. Not only physically- but spiritually as well. In all honesty- we use our years of experience and hope it will fill the spiritual void inside of us. We have no spirit to guide us, only our experiences are left."

She turned to face him, her eyes lost. "I too am lost; my journey has left me more lost in the end than in the beginning." She felt as if she hadn't spoken in over a year.

The elder could only shake his head. "Then it must not be the end yet. You still have much to learn Aleu, and much to gain in your wisdom."

"Oh." Was literally all Aleu could muster at the time. She too turned and exited the cave.

Not keen on company, Aleu wandered meaninglessly for quite a few hours. It was in a meadow that she finally came to rest. Her journey had exhausted her in every way possible. She couldn't return home now, the soonest would be in a few days' time. But the icefloes and storms were set against her, especially in this season.

With such hate in his heart…Could Niju even become a good leader? She had heavy doubts. But he'd been exiled, and could not return to the clan now. The entire clan was set against him. The more she pondered it, the more she wanted to know about how the elders were running the pack.

As the sun was setting, Aleu decided she would return the clan. She bedded down in her usual spot when she reached the territory, thankfully out of earshot of Nuk's snoring. With the coming day, she would speak with the elder's again.

Aleu

Daybreak in the New Lands

Aleu had gotten a good night's sleep for the first time in quite a few days; she found that when she awoke she had slept well into the afternoon. Her fellow clan-mates were already up and about, she wondered if they had organized a hunt already. That was going to be the most important question for the elders, if the pack could feed itself.

Before she had even reached the cliffs, she already had her answer.

"No! It's mine!" Aleu heard Nuk's voice from behind some foliage. She stopped dead in her tracks to listen.

"Ya, you needs to share!" Sumac's voice pierced in return.

"No, you're a scout. If scouts can't hunt- no food." Nuk reasoned.

"Yaaaa. But scouts don't know how to hunt the good stuffs." Sumac whined.

Aleu could hear the sound of someone taking disgustingly large bites out of something. "Yeah? Well Elder's say it's every wolf for themselves. You eat what you kill. Simple. Now, paws off!" Nuk clearly had his mouth full.

"But Nak… I'm hungry." Sumac whined.

" I gave you a scrap last time, and besides- I gotta bring some of this to the elders. It's not like they can hunt at their age." Nuk munched and spoke.

Aleu could hear no more. It was fairly clear…This wasn't going to work. She ran to speak with the elders. Running back she had wondered how things could ever be allowed to get into this state, this was chaos.

"Elders!" She was still catching her breath, but she was eager with her new plan.

Her voice echoed in the damp cavern. "…Hello? A-Anyone?" She turned around, bewildered at where they had gone to.

Suddenly there was a soft voice behind her. "Yes, young one?" It was the toothless female.

"Eep!" Aleu started. "I have come to you with troubles on my mind."

The elder nodded and lead the way down to the depths of the cave. Aleu noticed that the smell of meat was thick in the air, the source was a pile of meat in the corner- being stockpiled by the elders.

"What troubles you?"

Aleu told them the simple problem and her solution. She was in the middle of her explanation-"…We should lead hunts! Together!... Then everyone can eat!"- suddenly she looked around at the elders. They were frail and a rather unsightly crew. There would be no hunts lead by them- indeed! That wouldn't do.

"….Oh. I-I'm sorry… That won't do." Aleu began to backtrack. "But our brothers and sisters are beginning to fight over food- there just isn't enough skill spread out." The elders looked among themselves.

It was then Aleu made a bit of a mistake in her attempted diplomatic dealings . "You have plenty- but they have not! They bring you so much- and you all offer nothing in return- not even organization!"

The elders all began shouting at once and Aleu could barely make out the bits and pieces of their outrage. "You left the pack! You ran- You forsook the- How dare y- You mean to say-!" Her eyes widened and she stepped back.

Aleu cried out "Wait! I didn't mean it like…Like that!" They stilled for a moment.

"I merely meant to say, the clan could use some organization. What about someone to lead hunts- organized ones with bigger kills?" She looked at them with pleading eyes.

They considered. "Who would do it? We are not fit to be out in the fields…" The elderly bearded male looked her right in her eyes- staring straight on. It was as if we was looking through her and directly at her simultaneously. It was only after his eternal stare that he spoke. "Yes… Good idea. None other than Aleu shall lead them."

Aleu wished she had mites in her ear to block out what she just heard, and the following murmur of agreement. "I… I what?"

"Yes, demonstrate your skills as a leader- show us such acute skills in leading a hunt. Prove yourself worth it."

"I…I.. I don't- I…" Aleu fumbled badly- she felt color rising in her cheeks and a familiar burning in her eyes. This went totally aside all she had aimed to do- this train had gone flying off the tracks. She wanted them to organize the clan to hunt- not have herself appointed to lead hunts and show off her skills. Not that she had any.

She didn't remember turning to run from the cave until she found herself running through a field. She didn't remember the storm clouds until they were upon her and soaked her through.

"Oh… Aniu…" She muttered under her breath. She had always enjoyed her freedom- even as a pup in Rosie's house. She had now set a moral trap that even she couldn't find a way to set herself free from.

Thunder roared overhead as the soaking rain poured onwards. She was far out of the clan's territory now, just running. It was pointless, but the only way to clear her mind. She had been trotting up a cliffside when the rain started to become unbearable.

She had a feeling. Just a feeling. The sense was of unease, but she couldn't track the source. She didn't know where the feeling was coming from. She heard the call of a raven and a sudden crack of thunder.

Suddenly her world shifted- a force smashed her from behind and knocked her to the ground. It ripped at her neck and it was the end- she was sure. She was flat on her back when she stared into a pair of blue eyes- pinning her to the ground.

"Oh!"

It was none other than Niju.


	9. Conflict Resolutions

[Sorry for the wait folks. If I had a beta reader I'd be a happy **happy** camper. I'm posting tonight and editing tomorrow.]

Aleu and Niju

New Land: Valley and Cliffs

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><p>Niju pushed Aleu into the wet ground. His teeth were bared and he was quite livid. Much to Aleu's dismay there was no softening of his expression when they recognized each other. Aleu stared up into his eyes seeking some understanding.<p>

"You shouldn't stray from your beloved pack, halfbreed." He sneered at her.

All traces of the traveling companion she had come to recognize in him were lost as he pressed his weight upon her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Niju! Let me go!" This was far too much like that first fateful night on the iceberg- but Papa couldn't save her now.

He seemed to be in a rage beyond her understanding. She couldn't understand his reasoning or actions at all at this point, not that she understood him much as it was. "Why have you come?!" He bellowed into her face.

As much as she disliked being shouted at, she still replied honestly. "I…I was looking for help- But instead I found you." This was much like their earlier meeting in the old lands.

Niju remained puzzled for a couple seconds of speechless silence. " Help you say….. Help? So you have regained your position as clan leader- only to leave the pack again to rub your victory in my face?!" He smashed his nose into hers, and she felt the weight of his body seem to grow on her chest.

"No you idiot! The elders have taken over everything! I haven't a spot to return to..." She seemed to lose her temper, but her anger couldn't mask the tremble in her voice.

Niju heard himself being called an idiot- but it mattered little to him at this point. The more important news was that there was no chance of returning to the clan he had tried so hard to fight for, hunt for and live amongst for almost all his years. It was all lost. The journey ended in the cave.

But Aleu wasn't quite done talking; he hardly paid attention as he released her from his crushing weight.

" I mean I might still have a chance to prove myself...I volunteered to lead hunts- accidentally of course. No idea how that happened. I don't know how to organize the clan in a hunt, not even the first clue." She rambled on as she unsteadily rose to her feet.

Suddenly Niju seemed to be all ears as he blatantly interrupted her. "What?"

Aleu rolled her gorgeous big blue jewels and began to repeat. "I said I might have a chance t-''

"I heard you the first time." Niju interrupted once more.

"Well ok then. Now do you understand why we need to do something?" Aleu stepped towards the big wolf, no fear was in her eyes.

"It's clear that something must be done, yes!" Niju sounded mockingly agreeable. "You should probably do something about that." The other shoe dropped as he put the emphasis on 'you.'

Niju turned to walk away, but Aleu ran to catch him. It was then that he whipped towards her with rage etched into his large features. "Leave me!"

Aleu stood stock still for a brief moment, shocked by his sudden outburst. "I have only come to you for your help Niju."

Her blunt honesty took him by surprise; it was an odd sensation for him. Could it be that he liked seeing her de-throne herself to ask for his assistance? Of course he did. He reveled in his immense power over her at this moment with his next remark.

He began to circle her like a shark on the hunt- ready to snatch his hapless prey. "Hmm, is that so? The great half-breed chosen by Aniu… Has come sniveling to me once again."

Aleu on the other hand was formulating a bit of a devious plan of her own. She'd get him alright, she knew just what he wanted. She knew the power and ultimate authority he wanted. "Niju if you help me achieve what we set out to do- you'll be powerful..." She narrowed her eyes and began to circle him now- getting closer and closer to him.

"Just think of all the doubted you, all who stood in your way to being a great leader- think of how impressed they will be when you rise to power. How they will feel when it is you who guides us through these dark times."

Niju couldn't help but imagine his pack healthy and strong again- with him at the head of it. In the back of his mind he knew she was egging him on, but he liked the way she was speaking. He couldn't help but smile. "That's the least self-righteous way I've ever heard your tongue move, house-pet… I like it."

He felt suddenly out of place, like she had too much power over him. She seemed less innocent and much less of a witless teenager this way. He realized the fully grown Aleu was something he wasn't sure what to do with. She had grown up much since their meeting on the ice… She still lacked the robust frame that he would desire in mating a female. Not the kind of frame for producing good healthy pups and fending for her own in the wild. Nonetheless, her more refined and elegant build did her some justice when she talked like th-

"It's a work in progress!" Aleu chirped in his face, totally breaking the vortex his mind was lost in for the briefest of seconds.

He shook it off in disgust. She was nothing more than a means to an end, an immature, spoiled-brat of a halfbred wolf.

"So Niju, we got a deal or not?" Her vacant innocent stare was back.

Niju growled as he paced back and forth, he knew what he should do. He knew what he had to do. But he was honestly growing tired of Aleu. To take time to train her would be a test in his patience indeed.

"You will follow my instructions exactly, half-breed. If you do not or you fail to improve, I will banish you from my sight." Niju spoke coldly as he turned to trot up the cliffside Aleu struggled to keep up on the rocky outcropping.

When Niju reached the top he spoke words that were possible colder than the ones spoken just moments ago. "It is my suspicion that you utterly lack the necessary skills to make a kill. But I haven't a thing to lose while watching you fail."

Aleu had finally caught up to him. She hadn't growled at him in a surprisingly long amount of time, but now he was clearly spoiling for a fight. She let out a growled that Niju registered as sounding much more mature than last time, a much throatier and deeper tone. It sounded more wolfish than any he'd heard her make before. He would've wondered why he was noticing how much she'd grown, but then she'd gone and done something incredibly stupid.

Aleu had had enough of him doubting her; she was going to show him how much she'd grown. She was going to show him who was going to fail. She had planned on lunging for him, taking him by surprise and once she had him pinned saying something along the lines of 'Oh yeah? Watch me.' But things didn't pan out that way.

Before Aleu could so much as touch him, he had her pinned to the ground again. This time he let her go immediately to her surprise. "Your tactics need work, house-pet."

Frustrated and a slight bit impressed she waited until Niju had his back to her again. She used the cover of a low rumble of thunder from the waning storm overhead to lunge for him once again. She hoped the thunder would conceal the noise she made while she jumped for him.

This time he caught her and slammed her into the wet ground. She tried to fight with him; she kicked her soft feet into his sides and attempted to lift him off of herself. Mud soaked into her downy fur as he clasped his fangs around her neck. Her movement stilled as her eyes grew wide.

"Do not test me, or my capabilities. I suggest you return to your place before I put you there myself!"

She growled and offered him a curse under her breath. His grip tightened suddenly. "It would be easy, Mutt!" He offered her an empty warning. She had seen him save her so she didn't believe he'd kill her, but he was capable of hurting her a great deal.

Once she let out a yelp he released her in repulsion. He wordlessly moved off and proceeded up the cliff. Aleu's mind was engulfed in a storm as she listlessly followed him. The actual storm overhead had stopped and twilight was upon them.

Niju stopped for water and Aleu did the same. She found it odd that he was leading her through lands that he hardly knew. As he stepped into the cool creek the golden hour of a summer sunset was upon them. The world around them was bathed in a golden light and Aleu watch the brute of a wolf drink.

She wondered what had made him so different form their adventure at sea, he seemed much kinder then. Perhaps it was that she had lost her alpha status for the time being, perhaps he deemed her much less of an asset now. She watched his large and well-muscled frame until he caught her eye. She was in a bit of a trance while staring so when he spoke he startled her.

"I've made a den in those cliffs over there." He gestured with his head and shook droplets of water from his pelt. "I'm putting as much space between me and the clan as I can at the point in time. Unless you want them asking you questions about something you know nothing about, I would suggest you do the same."

Aleu took note of that. She knew if her fellow clan members asked her about how they should hunt together, she would be lost. She would want to help them, but she would have no idea where to start, and telling them to eat their bigger kills instead of bringing them to the elders was no good either, that could start a bloody fight between members. She wasn't ready for that.

"Those clouds look bad…" She commented while staring up at the sky. More of the storm system was moving in slowly, ending the golden window of sunset in an angry darkness. She looked around but it appeared that Niju had wandered off while she was lost in thought.

Aleu wasn't terribly concerned. She knew he'd make good of his end of the deal, and it wasn't as if his presence was doing anything good for her stress levels. She didn't need him now, she only wanted sleep the find her. She settled down in the grass just below the steep cliffs.

Later in the night she was rudely awaked by a soaking rain and the crack of thunder overhead once more. It was so jarring that she let out a yelp of surprise. She greatly detested getting soaked and made for the cliffs, though she couldn't see very well.

The only light that was really guiding her sight at this point belonged to the lighting. It was then that she found a small crawlspace in between the rocks. Upon crawling inside she noticed that it quickly opened up into a much larger space.

Just as she was thinking this must be an abandoned old wolf den, she tripped and fell over something stiff and furry. The ensuing growl told her that this 'abandoned wolf den' was anything but abandoned. Damn.

"What in Aniu's name are you doing, mutt?!" Niju sounded groggy but no less displeased.

Lighting lit up the den from the small entrance to reveal Niju standing over her. Aleu could say nothing but "Eekk!" in the given situation. She was soaking wet, and confused as hell at this point.

"Niju! I… I didn't mean to intrude. I thought it was empty! It had started to rain and I was sleeping in the grass." She clumsily stated.

Niju let out a "Hmmph." of a sigh and Aleu could hear his muscular physique slump back on its side in the darkness.

The thunder was deafening and Aleu realized the storm must be right on top of them. She couldn't sleep so she just stared into the empty space of the black night. Eventually as the storm passed over everything went still. She could hear faint dripping somewhere, but she also heard Niju shift greatly.

She heard him start suddenly and then proceed to pant heavily to catch his breath. It appeared he had a bit of a night-terror visit him in his sleep. He was definitely awake now.

"...Niju?" She would offer him comfort in the dark.

"What?!" He roared back at her.

"Nothing, never mind, forget it!" She barked back at him, losing her patience with his foul temper. She had turned to leave and find elsewhere to sleep without this horrible brute, but in her blindness she'd crashed straight into the wall instead. Sliding down to the den floor, she sighed in defeat.

"Niju, what is the matter with you? I don't understand…You seemed like you were truly having a change of spirit on the ice floe. I thought Nava had taught you to be kinder, and wiser. I thought maybe Nava had gotten something through to you… Maybe he-''

"Enough!" Niju had honestly heard enough.

"You must understand Aleu…" She noticed he used her actual name this time instead of some horrible nickname.

"Everything I do, everything I would work for was for this clan. I really thought I could bring them into better times. I tried to warn them… I did. What slim chance we had is gone." He didn't seem to be speaking to her, he seemed to simply be speaking to himself.

"But Niju, once I win the elders over with my skills as a hunter, I will regain my position as alpha and you will rise as the new ruler. It's just like we planned all along." Aleu assured him.

His tone suddenly turned with a familiar icy twist. "You don't honestly expect me to have faith in your skills as a hunter, foolish mutt?"

Aleu felt herself tense up, but she let it go. "No… Not yet. But you will." She resisted from saying 'I'll show you!' out loud, but she was definitely thinking it inside.

"You had better be ready to follow my strict instruction." He warned.

"Niju. You already told me that." She sounded confident, and almost arrogant. In reality she was just tired and ready to curl back into sleep.

Niju had settled back into sleep as his soft snoring was evident of.

Aleu was still restless in the black silence. She had much on her mind- she wondered if Niju could really help her. She wondered if her patience would last, did she really 'utterly lack the necessary skills to make a kill'? When she finally found sleep she could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping in the distance.

In the faint morning light Niju stirred once more- he hadn't realized how close Aleu was to him in the night. All he needed to do was reach out a paw and he could touch her delightfully plush looking fur.

Yikes. He was definitely going to need more sleep. He turned over and splayed himself out. He could hear Aleu whimpering slightly in her sleep. He wondered if her nightmare was the same as his.

He wondered if it was about the owl, the raven and the impending dark times that he was powerless to stop. He struck fear into him as he stared at the rocky wall. When the rocks offered him no comfort he ever-so-quietly turned back over to watch Aleu's sleeping form. Her breathing lulled him back into a slumber.


End file.
